Rising in the Dark
by African Titan
Summary: There is a terrible evil rising in the dark and our heroes will have their love tested, relationships will change and death will haunt every choice they make. Can they stand up to multiple enemies, save the world and survive their final year of school?
1. Behind Crimson Eyes

**Hey there guys! Welcome to Rising in the Dark; the sequel of Written in Stone! **

**I'd just like to thank my awesome Beta reader tinianiatt. Girl, you're awesome!**

**Also: I do not own 'Class of the Titans.'**

**This chapter is dedicated to dazzeling diamond.**

* * *

The cold early morning air was still crisp and fresh. Frost covered the dying grass as the first rays of sunlight kissed the shimmering windows of Olympus High School. If one were to walk through the halls at that moment one would immediately notice the echoes of silence in the empty school and the darkness that had not yet completely fled from the light.

This quiet, however, did not extend to the gym from whence came the mumble of voices and the sound of feet slapping the floor. Eight teenagers were spread out across the gym area; each of them thoroughly concentrating on their individual exercises.

"Hurry up Archie!" Atlanta yelled mockingly as she ran. "I'm already half a lap ahead of you!"

The purple haired youth cussed loudly as he stumbled after her. "It's not my fault! This stupid leg-brace is frozen together!" he yelled at the fiery redhead.

A little bit to the side stood two other youths. They were as different as two people could possibly be. One was blonde and devilishly handsome- something he was painfully aware of- the other was a short African-American boy who was groaning as he tried to lift weights from the floor.

"Ever considered a new hairstyle?" the blonde asked. "I mean _really_, that Afro has been out of style for twenty years now."

Odie just glared at Neil and resumed his weight lifting.

On the other side of the gym, Theresa and Jay were stretching and breathing deeply on the Yoga mat, something Ares didn't consider as 'proper' exercise quite yet.

To their left Herry and Gareth were running on the shiny new electronic treadmills that had taken up residence in the gym. These pieces of equipment had arrived courtesy of Odie's constant nagging that they had to modernize the school's exercise program. He soon came to regret the fact that Hera had agreed…

"How're you doing buddy?" Herry asked Gareth.

"I'm- fine-" Gareth gasped.

He was sweating profusely and kept his eyes locked on the big screen television above him. Little squiggles that showed his heart-rate flashed on the screen for the entire gym to see. Apparently Ares had thought it wise to show the teens what happens when an unfit body starts exercising. Gareth, however, didn't agree with Ares' humiliating tactics. Mostly because his high heart rate had prompted Herry to ask him if he was okay every five seconds.

Herry looked at the distance monitor on Gareth's treadmill. "Keep going Gareth, you only have a little more to do," he said as he stepped off his own machine.

Herry took his water bottle and held it high as a spray of water splashed into his face. He shook his head like a wet dog. Gareth marvelled at the fact that an athlete, who was supposed to be _so_ coordinated, couldn't even properly direct a spray of water into his mouth.

The jet of water stopped suddenly and Herry looked annoyed. "Aw crud! My water's gone."

"You- can have- some- of mine," Gareth gasped.

Herry flashed a toothy grin and leaned over Gareth to get his bottle of water. Gareth was painfully aware of the sleeveless muscle shirt that Herry wore. Suddenly the squiggle that showed his heart-rate on the television screen doubled in speed.

"Whoa!" Herry said. "You okay buddy?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Gareth could see the wicked grin on Theresa's face. He blushed furiously and did his best not to look directly at her.

"I'm okay," he said.

"Maybe you're running too slowly?" a stern male voice suggested. Ares had suddenly appeared beside Gareth.

"I-" Gareth began, but the god of war quickly cut him off.

"Odie!" he barked.

Odie turned to look in Ares direction.

"What does this red button do?" Ares asked while pointing at the button in question. He didn't really have to ask; he already knew…

"Um… It speeds up the treadmill," Odie said quietly.

"Really?" Ares said with a devilish glint in his eyes. "Like this?" he asked as his finger pressed the button.

Immediately Gareth's treadmill sped up. Ares seemed to like the way the button 'clicked' because he pressed it again… and again…

"Mr. Ares!" Gareth yelled in protest, his feet moving at break-neck speed.

Ares smiled. "Think fast!" he said as he quickly jabbed the stop button.

Unfortunately, thinking fast wasn't really Gareth's forte this early in the morning and he ran head first, over the front of the treadmill and into the wall beyond.

Blasts of laughter erupted all over the gym. Herry stepped forward and effortlessly lifted Gareth to his feet. Ares gave something that resembled a disapproving smile- it could also have been a grimace…

"Just testing your reflexes," he said innocently. Then his expression became stern once more. "Everybody, in the showers! NOW!"

The eight teens scrambled out of sight.

* * *

For what felt like the millionth time that day, a piece of ancient history was smashed against the cave floor. Cronus' daily hissy-fits had become so engraved in their routine that Agnon was almost used to it. Almost.

The crimson-eyed titan was sifting feverishly through a large pile of relics. His movements becoming more and more agitated as the futility of his search became apparent.

'There must be something in all this chaos I can use to destroy those brats!" he exclaimed for the umpteenth time.

Agnon gave a quick grunt and continued to pretend that he was also sifting through the vast piles of collective waste. The dark giant knew that it would be a miracle if Cronus found anything useful amongst all the clutter. In all the years he had lived, he had never met anyone as disorganized. He was sure that none of the other gods were this messy…

A roar of pure frustration reverberated off the cave walls. "_Think_ Agnon! There must be something we haven't tried yet."

Agnon hunched his shoulders and gave a non-committal grunt. Why was he always the one who had to suffer through Cronus' periods of useless plotting and introspection?

The dark haired titan's brow furrowed. "Thanks for nothing."

He turned back to the large pile he was sifting through and lifted an ornate abacus from the top. Agnon heard Cronus gasp as a painfully familiar piece of art was exposed. He dared to peek over Cronus' shoulder and saw the marble bust of a beautiful woman lying on the floor. Rhea…

Agnon could not see Cronus' face, but shock seemed to radiate from his body like heat waves. This was the one thing about Cronus that Agnon did not quite understand. _Why_ was he still so obviously affected by her, yet did not wish to seek her out? Surely it would be better to forget about her and move on…

Agnon's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Cronus' hand extend and gently caress the effigy's face. Could it be that Cronus still…_loved_ her? Was he actually able to fight through his all-consuming ambition to feel such emotion?

Cronus suddenly ripped his hand away from the bust as if it was a blazing fire. He turned around with such speed that Agnon didn't have time to move. Their eyes met and for a moment Agnon thought that his miserable life would finally end.

"Go get your brothers to help with the search!" Cronus barked. "We need to come up with a plan immediately."

Not wanting to tempt Cronus' wrath, Agnon hastened to the exit of the room to obey his command. His curiosity, however, got the better of him and for one small moment he turned in the doorway to look at the god of time. Cronus had picked up the bust and hastened to hide it behind his throne. He seated himself on the stone throne and stared moodily into space. For once there was an expression other than rage on his face.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to wear a skirt?" Theresa asked. "You never know. Archie might actually like it."

Atlanta rolled her eyes as she, Theresa and Neil walked to the exit of the school building. It was quite evident to Theresa that she wouldn't get anywhere with the hot headed huntress on this particular subject. She had to try, though. Her girly side would never forgive herself if she didn't at least _try_ to get Atlanta to wear something sexy to the school dance.

"If Archie wanted to date a girl who wears skirts he'd have gone for someone like Medelia," Atlanta said as she and Theresa shared a collective shudder at the mention of Medelia's name.

"Well I think it's really sad that you won't wear a skirt," Neil said suddenly. He was looking away from his panelled mirror for what seemed to be the first time in hours. "You might actually attract a lot more attention if you wore skirts. I mean _really_, those cargo pants are way too manly! And while we're on the subject, you really should do something about your posture. You make some of the boys look gir-" The death-glare that Atlanta sent in his direction stopped Neil in mid-sentence.

Theresa was about to step in to stop the fight that was obviously about to break out when her eye caught something strange in the doorway of the school building. A human figure was suspended between heaven and earth with one foot aimed at the ceiling at an odd angle. He was writhing furiously above the ground and seemed to be cussing in Afrikaans or Dutch. A small crowd of whispering and giggling students were staring at him in amusement.

"Gareth?" Theresa asked in shock.

Immediately the struggling figure froze and tried to turn in their direction. This, however, was impossible since the rope tied to his leg kept spinning his face the other way.

"Theresa, is that you?" Gareth said with his back turned to her. "Please get me down from here!"

Theresa and her friends rushed through the crowd of spectators. They struggled uselessly with the knot around Gareth's ankle, until Neil remembered the nail file in his back pocket. Atlanta deftly cut the rope loose with the file which caused Gareth to immediately crash to the ground. He scrambled to his feet and, after untangling his feet from the rope and mumbling a thank you to his friends, he stumbled out of the school building. His friends were quick to follow him.

"Gareth, what happened?" Theresa asked as they hurried after him. "Who did that to you?"

Gareth wiped furiously at his face and quickened his pace as he crossed the road. Atlanta had, however, caught up with him and grabbed hold of his arm.

"What's going on, Gareth?" Atlanta asked.

Gareth slowly turned toward them to reveal a partly bloodied face. A small trickle of crimson fluid ran from his nose.

"Daren Manson beat me up. That's what happened… I'm totally useless!" he suddenly exclaimed angrily. "I've been training with you guys for weeks and still Daren kicked my butt in less than five seconds! How am I supposed to help you fight Cronus if I can't even beat a stupid bully?"

"Nobody expects you to fight Cronus, Gareth," Theresa said gently. "You're just training so you can learn to defend yourself. It takes a lot of time to get good at it, though. So please don't feel bad about what that jerk, Daren, did."

"Yeah, don't let Daren get you down," Atlanta said while rubbing her balled fist. "Should we go punch some sense into him for you?"

"No, please don't," Gareth said glumly. "You don't have to do that. I don't want Daren to think I can't fight my own battles. I just wish I could fight like you or Theresa."

Theresa reached out and squeezed Gareth's shoulder reassuringly. "You will. Just give it time." She smiled when something suddenly occurred to her. "I bet that, as soon as your mentor arrives, you'll turn into a fighting machine!"

Gareth's face lit up instantly. Theresa loved how easy it was to get him to smile again. He was just so very easy to please.

"Really? You think so? I mean- I know I'll never be as great as you guys, but with a mentor I might get better… If my mentor ever arrives that is. We've been waiting for weeks."

Theresa reassuringly placed her arm around Gareth's shoulder and they began to walk in the direction of the Brownstone. "Don't worry. Your mentor will be here soon. I can feel it." This seemed to be enough for Gareth, who looked a lot happier than a moment before. "Now let's get back home," Theresa added. "We have a dance to get ready for."

* * *

The faint light that glowed in the dying embers of the fireplace was too feeble to conquer the dark. Cold mountain air clung to the stone walls and floors like a second skin. The room she was sitting in was large and lavishly decorated in a style reminiscent of medieval times. Lilith was sitting in a large stone throne while twirling a golden pendant in front of her face. She stared off moodily into space. Apparently she was waiting for something to happen.

In front of her was an ornate human-sized mirror. This was no ordinary mirror, however. It shone with a strangely cold blue light and what appeared to be crystal clear water swirled across the shining surface of the glass. The mirror did not reflect the beautiful woman's face. Instead, it showed the image of a large Brownstone building into which four teens were walking.

Lilith's senses sharpened when her eyes locked onto one of the boys. He had blonde hair and walked around with a swagger that spoke of extreme confidence. She twirled the pendant key a little faster and bit her lower lip in anticipation. He had been the subject of her thoughts for quite a while now. Lilith, however, knew that she would have to forget about that part of her plan. For now…

The rustle of silk in the cold night air and the near inaudible slap of bare feet on stone drew her thoughts back to the present.

"Did you get it?" Lilith asked without looking at the new arrival.

A girl approached the left hand side of the throne and bowed deeply. "Yes mistress. I was able to procure it," she said while extending the object in her hands.

"What took you so long?"

"Pardon, mistress, but travel between the two worlds is much slower for beings with lesser powers than yours. The object was also hard to find since the boy had locked it in a box beneath his floor boards."

Lilith rolled her eyes and took the video cassette from her minion. How very childish of Gareth to hide his belongings under his floor boards. That he had survived the event at the Herculean plaza seemed all the more astonishing now.

"Get me some popcorn," Lilith ordered suddenly.

"Pardon mistress?"

Lilith sighed. "Popcorn you foolish girl! Get me some popcorn! The humans always eat it while watching these kinds of things. We _must_ do this right! And remember the butter! There's always butter!" Lilith yelled after the pale girl, who was already scrambling away to obey her mistress's command.

Lilith turned away from the pale girl and examined the video cassette. The label on it clearly read 'Class of the Titans'. Gareth's untidy scrawl was instantly recognizable. She smiled at the familiar piece of his personality and then pressed the video against the swirling surface of the mirror. Slowly the cassette disappeared through the surface of the mirror until it was completely swallowed in the crystalline depths.

A few seconds passed before the pale girl reappeared with a large bowl in her hands.

"Your popcorn, mistress," she said while bowing deeply.

Lilith took the bowl and curled up on the large throne. "Leave me," she commanded the girl, who barely took a second to obey. She disappeared in a flurry of silk and rushing feet.

Lilith smiled serenely and clicked her fingers at the mirror. The familiar theme song began to play across the mirror's surface. She flicked a piece of popcorn into her mouth and waved her hand to the right. Immediately the images fast-forwarded. She pushed her hand forward and the images played out at normal speed again.

"Wow! These are strong!" a blonde boy said in the mirror's depths. "Suddenly, I feel even more gorgeous and fabulous and powerful than ever! Oh yeah! I have found my weapon, baby!"

Lilith forwarded the images once more; this time stopping at a scene in a new episode.

"Perhaps revenge would satisfy your appetite?" Cronus suggested.

"There is only one soul whose misery would quell my thirst for revenge…" a feminine voice answered. "Hera!"

Lilith narrowed her eyes and forwarded the images once more. They came to a halt at a scene where the blonde boy stood in a long trench coat whilst brandishing a water gun. A creature of the night had just died by his hands.

"I think I've found my calling!"

Lilith sighed. This boy seemed to be 'finding' out a lot of things. She placed another piece of popcorn in her mouth and forwarded on to another scene.

There was the strong, dark haired boy lying on the floor. Something was wrong with his canine teeth…

"Jay," he moaned. "Something's wrong with me…"

The scene paused and Lilith stared intently at the incredible image in front of her. She popped another piece of corn into her mouth and chewed ever so slowly. A deviously evil plan was already marinating in the depths of her mind. Lilith smiled excitedly. _This _was the part of her existence she liked most. The pure thrill of plotting was incredible.

"Sister!" she yelled. Immediately the pale girl floated into the room and bowed in front of the throne. Lilith placed the bowl next to her seat and rose to her feet. "Gather the rest of your sisters and tell them to meet me outside the town. Tell them to hurry. We have a long journey ahead."

* * *

The lights of the school gym winked invitingly at them as they climbed out of Herry's truck. It was almost completely dark now and the dance was already underway. Neil, of course, wasted no time in sauntering ahead of the group and heading for the gym. He mumbled something about pushing the limits of being fashionably late and disappeared through the open gym doors.

"I don't know about this," Gareth said uncertainly. "I'm not really good at dancing."

"Don't be silly," Theresa said amicably. "Just move your hips and wave your arms around."

Archie snorted. "That's how girls dance."

"So what do you suggest?" Theresa said sharply. "He can't go around punching the air and kicking over chairs. That'd just look stupid."

Herry gave a tiny cough and blushed furiously.

"Oh… sorry Herry!" Theresa said.

"S'ok," he said as if he didn't have a care in the world.

The heavy beat of music had become deafeningly loud now and they braced themselves before they pushed through the open doors. As was expected, Neil was already surrounded by a whole pack of air headed cheerleaders who stood and giggled hysterically.

Atlanta leaned over to Archie and yelled. "Five bucks says they get bored and dump him in less than half an hour!"

"I give them less than ten minutes!" Archie replied and shook her outstretched hand.

Gareth's eyes scanned the room and drank in the entire scene. Large groups of teenagers were rhythmically moving their bodies around on the dance floor; some dancing with innocent joy, others less so…

"Man, I wonder who the DJ is," Gareth said. "This music is awesome."

Theresa quickly scanned the room at large coming to a halt at the music centre. She gasped as recognition set in. She grabbed hold of Jay's arm and directed his gaze to the DJ.

"Oh no," Jay said and the entire group looked to see what was troubling him.

Seven pairs of eyes locked on to an athletic looking young man with dreadlocks. He was wearing earthy-coloured, baggy clothing and had a light blue cap on top of his head. His body moved to the rhythm of the music and he seemed to be in a world of his own.

"Is that…" Gareth began.

"Pan," Theresa finished.

As if he heard them, Pan looked up and locked his eyes onto Atlanta. His face immediately burst into a stunning smile and he waved eagerly at them.

"We'd better go see what this is about," Jay said seriously and led the group in Pan's direction.

There was no need to wait for awkward greetings since Pan lithely leapt over the music centre and greeted the group at large.

"Nice to see you too, Phil," Atlanta said, using his alternate name. "But, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to get away from it all. I thought that, maybe, it'd be cool to come here for a while."

Archie looked at Pan suspiciously while putting his arm firmly around Atlanta's waist. He looked ready to pounce at the tiniest sign of trouble. Pan, however, looked completely laid back and didn't even take much notice of the purple haired warrior.

"Is that really the only reason?" Jay asked seriously.

Pan sighed and scanned everyone in the group. His eyes came to a halt on Gareth who was smiling so broadly that his face seemed to be split in two.

"You're Gareth, right?" Pan asked.

Gareth nodded his head eagerly and extended his hand. Pan however, held out his right fist and, after a few seconds of confusion, Gareth reached out uncertainly and bumped his fist into Pan's.

"Hey there little dude," Pan said amicably. "As you've heard, my name's Pan." He leaned in closer. "You can call me Phil, though. I'm gonna be your mentor."

* * *

**Thank you for reading this! I really hope you enjoyed it!**

**Now I'd like to ask for your reviews/constructive criticism/general-thoughts-on-anything. I'd really appreciate any input! **

**Have a wonderful day/night! :)**


	2. Queens of the Night

**Moshi Moshi, hey there and howdy! Welcome to the second chapter of Rising in the Dark!**

**Thank you to all my awesomely wonderful reviewers. You guys are AWESOME! I'd also like to thank ALL my readers. I'd just like to ask you guys to review as well. Your input, no matter how insignificant you think it is, is truly wonderful! Every single review makes my day fabulously wonderful! So do take a moment to review and tell me what you think. **

**I'd just like to thank my mindblowingly awesome beta reader, tinianiatt. Girl, you are both magnificent and awesomely helpful!**

**As always: I do not own 'Class of the Titans.'**

* * *

It was a good thing that jumping up and down was a semi-normal thing to do at a dance, since this was the way in which Gareth chose to express his glee at having Pan for a mentor. Pan smiled indulgently as he waited for Gareth to calm down.

"Um… Atlanta. Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked uncertainly. "Alone."

Archie gripped her waist even more firmly and glared at Pan. "There's nothing you can say to her that can't be said in front of us all," he growled menacingly.

Pan sighed. "Maybe it _would_ be better if I talked to you both." He turned to Gareth. "Hey, little dude, how about you go take over the music for a while. Consider it your first lesson."

Gareth didn't need telling twice. In less than two seconds, he bounded over to the music centre and pulled the earphones over his head. The heavy beat of the music absorbed him instantly and he bobbed his head rhythmically.

Pan turned back to find that Archie was still glaring at him. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm cool with you guys being together. I'm not here to make things harder for you." He did his best to avert his gaze from Atlanta as he said this. It still hurt that she didn't love him the same as he did her.

"It's okay," Atlanta said gently. "We know you don't mean to-"

Archie suddenly snorted loudly. "Yeah right! Why are you here if you're so intent on not causing trouble? We both know how you feel about Atlanta."

Archie ignored the reproachful glare that Atlanta shot at him and, instead, met Pan's gaze as if daring him to deny it.

"My feelings for Atlanta are…not relevant. I'm here because Hera thinks I can connect with Gareth." Pan shot a quick glance at Gareth, who seemed to be having the time of his life. "He's a strange little guy isn't he?"

Archie, who was clearly not satisfied with Pan's explanation, did naught but glare, thus, forcing Atlanta to answer.

"Gareth's really nice once you get to know him." She smiled. "He does have his weird moments, though."

As if to prove her point, Gareth chose that specific moment to yell into the DJ's microphone in a very poor ghetto accent. "Yo-yo, what's up? DJ Stuart in da house!"

The silence that seemed to skewer the music was near deafening. Everyone in the gym stood still and stared as Gareth's face turned redder by the nanosecond.

A pretty Indian girl near the music centre leaned closer to her redheaded friend and whispered. "That was _so_ tragically wannabe-gansta…" Her friend nodded in agreement. A ripple of giggles broke out at this.

Pan, noticing Gareth's humiliation, raised his fist into the air and exclaimed. "All right, rock on little dude!"

Immediately the silence was broken and everyone, following Pan's example, cheered. Gareth smiled happily and went back to spinning records his ego saved.

Pan chuckled and faced Atlanta once more. "I like that kid already."

* * *

Her angered screams didn't pierce the stony silence of eternity. Her punishment, she felt, was too severe for any soul to take. She had reached the point where she would gladly spend eternity in the most horrid depths of Tartarus, if it meant she could move…

For the millionth time she struggled uselessly against her stony cage but, as always, she didn't even budge an inch.

If only she could be, free. She knew that she'd finally get her vengeance on Hera this time. She would make the aged goddess suffer as she did; would avenge the pain inflicted on her and her children.

She did not know how many hours, months or years longer she dwelt on these thoughts before a miracle of purest light broke through the night. A crack sounded in the darkness and slowly, but surely, she felt the tightness loosen. The stone became flesh once more and the scent of blood and water mixing erupted in her nostrils. Her arm fell away from her face and landed in the cool water of the fountain. She was afraid to open her eyes. She didn't dare to believe that she was, somehow, free again.

"Open your eyes, Sybaris," a melodious feminine voice commanded.

This was the last confirmation of reality Sybaris needed. Her eyes shot open and took in the night. Her surroundings were glaringly bright. Even in the dead of night, she could see everything clearly. There was a beautiful blonde woman at the foot of the fountain. Her hair blew wildly in the mountain air and in her hands were two cross-shaped daggers. A group of females who shared her pale complexion surrounded her.

"What do you want from me?" Sybaris cut to the chase. "Did that fool, Cronus, send you? I refuse to work with him again!"

The woman laughed. There was something strange about her. She didn't seem quite…human.

"My dear girl, I came here of my own volition. Nobody wants you to work for them. I simply revived you to get what I want."

There was a sudden hunger in her eyes that didn't please Sybaris. Her mood had changed too fast. There was no denying that this…thing, whatever she was, was dangerous. Sybaris scanned the town square and noticed a few civilians cowering in the shadows. Everywhere she looked, there were drawn curtains and locked doors. This blonde woman had evidently instilled great fear in the townsfolk.

"If we weren't being watched, I would kill you," Sybaris hissed.

The blonde cocked her head to one side and sighed. "That would be a fatal mistake, my dear," the blonde said. "Just give me what I want and you won't have to suffer."

Sybaris hissed. She had had enough of this girl's insolence. Her back arched and, in what seemed less than a second, a pair of wings burst from beneath her skin. Both her legs had melded together and transformed into a powerful tale. Sybaris raised her snake-like body above the town square as anguished screams echoed from the townsfolk who had seen her transformation.

"Do not tempt me Sybaris. Surrender or die," the blonde ordered. Her eyes had become as black as tar and the veins in her face stood out clearly against her pale skin.

Sybaris screamed in outrage and swiped her vast tail across the ground. The blonde, however, lithely jumped over it. She followed this with a lightning fast slash of her daggers that left a bloody line across Sybaris' lower body.

"You are way out of your league, little girl!" the blonde hissed. Her murderous glare was as deadly as her blades.

Sybaris didn't wait to respond. She stretched her vast wings through the air and rose from the ground. Her body swooped over the ground and her claws lashed out at the blonde who, once again, evaded the attack with ease. She whipped around mid-flight and smashed her right wing into the blonde who crashed into the fountain.

Sybaris landed at the edge of the fountain and looked at the prone body that lay beneath the watery depths. She felt a sense of satisfaction. Once again, she had proven that no one could stand up to her might. She lowered her head to the water and smelled the corpse. There was some magic about it. The blood that stalled beneath the flesh was intoxicating.

Suddenly the blonde's eyes shot open and looked straight into hers. It was too late for Sybaris to pull back. The blonde surged forth from the waters with her blades dancing through the night.

Sybaris felt one dagger slash across her right wing as another pierced her shoulder. She staggered back in horror, her body in pain, but still the blonde attacked mercilessly. The cross-like daggers slashed across her chest and scarred her face until finally she fell back to the ground. Her body writhed on the ground as her legs took shape again, her wings replaced by bloodied shoulder blades and her cheeks rosy once more. Ragged gasps of pain shuddered from her lips as she pulled away from the blonde woman. It did her no good, however, as the blonde swiftly raised a dagger in the air and plunged it into her shoulder. The blade went all the way through and pinned her to the cold stones of the streets. Her shriek of pain echoed with those of the townsfolk nearby.

"Now look what you've done," Lilith said sweetly. "We could have avoided all this if you'd just given up." She leaned in closer to Sybaris. "Don't worry. It'll all be over soon. I just have to take what I came here for."

Her face edged closer to Sybaris who, even through her ragged gasps of pain, could feel the energy siphoning through her mouth. It happened too quickly. One moment she was looking into the endless void of the blonde's eyes, the next their lips met and she could feel a part of herself being leeched away. The blonde's maniacal laugh of pleasure was the last thing she heard before the night swallowed her whole.

* * *

Lilith felt exhilaratingly new. It was a pain so exquisitely delicious that she couldn't help but revel in it. She could feel her power increasing, her beauty being magnified and her canine teeth growing sharper… True, her senses couldn't become sharper than they already were, but she could still sense the beating of scared hearts and hear the rush of warm blood in a way that was different from before.

_Strange__…_ she thought. The books Gareth read always spoke of irresistible hunger. Yet she felt completely in control of her actions. Sybaris was covered in blood, but she didn't feel like losing control. The only thing she really wanted to sink her new teeth into was-

"Mistress?" one of the girls that accompanied her asked uncertainly.

Lilith, who had been caught up in the rapture of her newness, refocused her eyes and turned to her minions. "Come sisters. Drink as much of her blood as you can and be reshaped in my image."

One by one, her minions stepped forward and dipped their hands into the crimson fluid that stained the road. Their transformations were as quick and seamless as Lilith's was. One moment their eyes were normal, the next overtaken by the inky darkness that was always present in Lilith's greatest moments of power.

Moans of ecstasy slipped from their lips while their canine teeth grew deadlier. The night became colder as they drew their last living breaths and fell over the precipice that led to eternity.

A dark haired minion stepped forward and bowed in front of Lilith. "Thank you for this eternal gift, Mistress," she exalted. Her gaze then flitted across the empty town square the villagers having long since fled. "What of the town and its inhabitants?"

Lilith shot into the air and hovered above the town square. Her dark gaze drank in the night. "You shall relocate the base as we discussed earlier." In the distance, Lilith could see townsfolk fleeing into their houses. "As for the villagers… kill them all."

Lilith shot into the darkness and flew away from the town. She hadn't even traveled fifty yards when the screams of terror started…

* * *

Gareth's bare feet tiptoed down the soft stairs. It was a quarter to twelve and he suddenly craved a snack. Sure, there'd be hell to pay in the morning -- Ares had forced him into a strict diet -- but he didn't care. He felt he deserved it after the day he had just had. Between his exercise humiliations that morning, Daren beating him up, getting Pan as a mentor and being DJ for a night he definitely felt like a wrung out dishcloth.

Gareth reached the bottom of the stairs only to see that the kitchen light was on. He listened intently, but heard nothing. One of the guys must have forgotten to turn off the light.

As quietly as possible, Gareth tiptoed into the kitchen and sneaked over to the refrigerator. He sniggered deviously as he pulled a bit of leftover pizza from the back of the fridge.

"What are you doing, Gareth?" a familiarly authoritarian voice asked.

Gareth whipped around quickly and, in the process of doing so, accidentally flung the pizza slice across the kitchen. It slammed into the wall with a juicy _splat_.

"Nothing!" he exclaimed; homing in on Jay who was huddled close to Theresa in a cosy corner of the kitchen.

Theresa giggled and gently pushed Jay away from her. Both of them were sporting cheeks that were rosier than usual. Theresa stepped away from Jay and opened one of the kitchen cupboards.

"D'you want some hot chocolate?" she asked while grabbing hold of a large, brown mug.

Gareth shivered slightly. For a moment he had forgotten how terribly cold it was. "Yes please," he said.

"Well… okay. I guess I'll lock up and go to bed then," Jay said, blushing slightly.

He leaned in and gently kissed Theresa, causing Gareth to blush and look away. He quickly made sure that all the windows and the back door were locked before sauntering out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Gareth returned his gaze to Theresa who was holding a steaming mug out to him.

"Thanks," he said and together they seated themselves on the countertop.

For a few moments, they sat in silence while heating themselves with small sips of chocolate. Gareth, however, soon became aware of the fact that Theresa was stealing glances at him and that she had a devilish grin on her face.

"What?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"Oh… I'm just wondering… what you and Herry were talking about at the dance? Remember? He came to talk to you while you were playing DJ at the music centre." There was definitely a wicked grin on Theresa's face now.

Gareth looked at Theresa suspiciously. "We didn't really talk about anything cool."

"Whatever you say, _DJ_ Stuart."

Gareth blushed for what felt like the millionth time that day. "No really. He just asked me if I'd seen Medelia. He couldn't find her."

"He couldn't find her?" Theresa asked incredulously. "Half the school was staring at her and all the guys she was dancing with!"

"I know," Gareth said in annoyance. "That bit- girl has no shame! She rubbed against the crotch of absolutely every guy in reaching distance on that dance floor!"

Theresa and Gareth gave a collective shudder. It had become an unspoken agreement amongst the team that they would be nice to Medelia for Herry's sake. The agreement, however, didn't include a ban on verbally bashing Medelia when they were alone.

"I honestly don't know why he doesn't dump that girl," Theresa said. "What does he see in her?"

The expression of annoyance on Gareth's face intensified. "Blonde hair, long legs and fake bre-"

"Gareth!" Theresa gasped in shock.

Gareth's eyes widened and he placed his cup of hot chocolate on the counter and pushed it as far away as possible.

"Sorry!" he said quickly. "It's the sugar! I shouldn't drink sweet stuff this late at night! It makes me hyper and then I say things…"

Theresa, however, was giggling hysterically and didn't seem to mind at all. It took quite a while for her to calm down enough to speak.

"I didn't know you could talk like that," she said, as Gareth's blush intensified. "You're so adorable when you're jealous."

For one horrible moment, Gareth actually thought she might pinch his cheeks. Thankfully she didn't.

"I'm not jealous," he said quickly. "I just… don't like it when people mess around with my friends."

Theresa gave Gareth a most pitying look. "Who are you trying to kid, Gareth? _Everybody _already knows that you're totally crazy for Herry! As if that thing with the heart monitor wasn't clue enough…" Theresa resumed her giggling. It was apparent that she found the heart monitor incident quite amusing. "Why don't you tell him?"

"No!" Gareth exclaimed almost before she'd finished speaking. "There is _no way_ that I can say that to Herry. Besides, he already knows. He was there when Neil read my journal. Remember?"

"Yeah, but you and I both know that Herry can be a bit… slow when it comes to these things." Theresa ignored the poisonous scowl that Gareth gave her and ploughed on with her speech. "And I think that just about everybody in the school would thank you for getting him away from Medelia."

"You're forgetting one very important thing, Theresa. Herry likes _girls_. I don't stand a chance; especially not against a girl like Medelia."

Theresa was quiet for a moment as she stared at the opposite wall. She twirled the teaspoon in her cup absentmindedly and squinted slightly.

"You know, he _might_ like you," she said slowly. "He did seem very…anxious when we dragged you away from Lilith at the plaza."

"That's because he's a great friend," Gareth said. He sighed and drained the rest of his hot chocolate. "Anyway, it doesn't help anyone to sit around and daydream about something that won't ever happen. So let's just _not _do that, okay?"

Theresa shrugged her shoulders and jumped off the counter. She placed both her and Gareth's cups in the sink and headed for the kitchen door.

"That doesn't mean I won't try to do something about it," she said; her back turned to Gareth.

He could feel the colour draining from his face. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh I wouldn't, would I? You won't be able to stop me. I'll just _push_ you two in the right direction when you least expect it," she teased. "Maybe I should ask Aphrodite for a love potion or some kind of aphrodisiac…"

"No, you can't!" Gareth begged.

Theresa ignored him and peered at the clock on the wall. Midnight had come and gone without it chiming the passing.

Theresa gave an overly theatrical sigh. "It's getting very late. I think I'll get some sleep," she said and started ascending the stairs.

Gareth stormed after her. "Theresa, promise me you won't try anything funny!"

"Goodnight Gareth!" she called over her shoulder and disappeared in the darkness at the top of the stairs.

Cussing the interfering ways of girls, Gareth flicked off the kitchen light and stomped up the stairs. Wasn't it humiliating enough to have the entire world know of his hopeless crush? Did Theresa have to make things worse?

Gareth turned the corner at the top of the stairs when a sudden movement ghosted in the darkness.

"Theresa?" he asked.

A moment later, however, he saw that it wasn't Theresa. The window at the end of the hallway stood open and its curtains were moving in the gentle breeze. Gareth felt slightly uneasy. It wasn't like Jay to miss a single window in his usual locking up routine.

Slowly he crept towards the window. His eyes were wider than usual since he was trying to see as much in the darkness as possible, but there was nothing to see other then the billowing movement of the curtains. Gareth came to the edge of the hall and with one hand firmly balled into a fist; he ripped the curtains open. The night was as empty and devoid of life as it usually was. Still he felt uneasy. Gareth reached for the window latch and slowly pulled it shut. The locking mechanism gave a satisfactorily loud click.

Gareth was about to move away when a flicker of movement outside caught his attention. It was so quick, though, that he couldn't be sure of what he'd seen. Slowly he leaned closer and closer to the window. His heavy breathing fogged up the glass. He stretched his eyes wide with concentration, but still he saw nothing. The night was as inky black and silent as a moment ago. He now had his face pressed against the cold glass.

A beat of time went by when suddenly a large black bird crashed against the window. Gareth fell back with a scream of terror. The bird was madly clawing and pecking at every inch of glass it could reach.

A jet of bright light suddenly shot through the hall and Jay came bounding out onto the landing.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his xiphos drawn.

Gareth, breathing heavily, pointed at the window. "There's a bird! It's trying to get in."

Jay, who wasn't quite awake yet, looked at the window confusedly. "What bird?" He walked over to the window and, after peering outside, drew the curtains shut. "There's nothing there, Gareth. Get some sleep."

Without further ado, Jay walked back down the hall, switched off the light and closed his door. Gareth slowly got to his feet and walked back to the window. He gave it one last suspicious glare before walking to the safety and comfort of his own room.

A pall of silence fell over the Brownstone when his door clicked shut. Shadows of darkness and moonlight caressed the furniture. The silent sounds of the night came out to haunt the building. In the distance, a dog was howling at nothing, outside the backdoor, the crickets were chirping and in the hallway, a window slowly creaked open…

* * *

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	3. Training Day

**Howdy folks! Welcome to the third installment of RID! It's been awhile, so I hope it was worth the wait!**

**As always, I'd like to thank all my astoundingly awesome reviewers and the people who alerted and favorited this story! It means a lot guys.**

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**Well enjoy it then folks!**

* * *

The early morning air was reverently silent. Fresh breaths of air were slowly waking Jay up properly as he walked toward the kitchen. He walked without stumbling, since his feet knew the way so well. This was all part of his morning routine: wake up early, drink his first glass of orange juice then get an early session of strategic planning out of the way.

"Check mate!" a familiar voice suddenly cried out from the living room.

"Aw man! That was the fourth time in a row."

Jay walked into the living room to find Odie and Gareth locked in a heated match of chess. Both were sitting on the floor with equally messy hair; a feat which was all the more extraordinary for Gareth when compared to Odie's Afro.

"Morning Jay," Gareth said brightly when he noticed his leader in the doorway.

"Morning," Jay said while looking at them blearily. "What are you two doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," Gareth replied. "Did you know it's snowing?" he asked with an ever growing smile.

Jay looked out the nearest window and, sure enough, tiny flakes of crystallized water were drifting gently toward earth. Every single patch of ground was covered in white.

"Isn't it great?" Gareth asked excitedly. "I've never seen snow before."

Jay chuckled. "It's not so great when you slip in it. It'd be a lot more fun if it wasn't so wet either."

Gareth's smile didn't waver a bit and he just continued placing his pieces back on the chess board. "Hey, wanna play against the winner?" he asked.

For a moment Jay hesitated. His mind was locked firmly on the stack of charts and mythology books he had propped on his desk upstairs. The pleading look on Gareth's face, however, could not be denied. Jay wondered if this was how little brothers behaved. Gareth sure as heck felt like one.

"Oh all right. Why not?" he said with a smile and joined the two.

The rest of the early morning was spent with Odie taking turns to play against Jay and Gareth. He was the undefeated master of the chess board and the only one who seemed to give him any pause was Jay, who seemed to take a lot of time to plan every single move. In the end Odie took pity on them and allowed Jay to play a match against Gareth.

What followed was a feverish battle of wits that ended in a dramatic stalemate involving two pawns, a well placed rook and one unfortunately manoeuvred knight.

Slowly the rest of the Brownstone came to life. Athena appeared in the kitchen when the first bit of light sparkled in the windows. She pulled open the curtains and popped her head into the living room.

"Who left the upstairs window open?" she asked sternly.

The three boys shrugged in unison.

"Please make sure that _all_ the windows and doors are locked before you go to bed. I don't want you all to freeze to death." And without further ado she pulled back into the kitchen.

Upstairs a door slammed and a shower curtain was pulled.

"That'll be Neil," Odie said to Gareth. "I bet it takes less than five minutes for Theresa to start banging on the door."

The two of them started another game of chess while Jay opted to give Gareth a stream of well meant pointers. Half an hour passed and the bathroom door opened and closed several times. Jay frowned and looked up at the ceiling.

"Funny… that's the first time in- I don't know how long, that there hasn't been a fight over Neil hogging the bathroom."

"Miracles happen," Odie said blandly as he knocked one of Gareth's rooks from the chess board. "He must still be busy with his pre-shower beauty routine." All three of the boys sniggered.

In the kitchen they could hear a pan being placed on the stove and seconds later the scintillating sizzle of frying sausages was to be heard. The delicious scent of food wafted into the living room and played devilish tricks on the boys' sense of smell. They quickly headed for the kitchen where they were joined by Theresa, Atlanta, Herry and a thoroughly grumpy looking Archie. The clang of plates and gentle passing of banter was the order of the day.

"Where is Neil?" Athena suddenly asked in a sharp voice. She didn't wait for a reply but turned her face up to the ceiling. "Neil! Drop whatever you're doing and come get your breakfast. Now!"

A loud thud emanated from upstairs and the familiar whine of Neil's voice carried down the stairs. He was evidently not in the best of moods.

Moments later he caused a small uproar when he stumbled into the kitchen. Eight pairs of eyes widened as they fell on his haggard appearance. Neil was still in his pyjamas and his hair was standing in every direction but down. Tiny half moons of purple touched his eyelids, which were drooping slightly and his skin seemed pale and clammy. He plopped himself down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"Are you… _okay_, Neil?" Theresa asked uncertainly.

Neil seemed to take ages to respond. "I'm fine," he sighed and reached for a box of cereal.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right?" Athena asked. "Maybe you should go back to bed."

Neil only grunted in recognition as he grabbed a bottle of fruit juice and promptly started to pour it onto his cereal. He placed the bottle back on the table, gave something between a snore and a growl and fell face first into his bowl of juiced cereal.

Athena's eyes widened in horror, "Somebody pick him up before he drowns!"

Herry grabbed Neil by the scruff of his neck and lifted him from the chair.

"Get back to bed this instant, Neil," Athena ordered. "You're obviously coming down with something."

In the end Herry was forced to help Neil back to his room since he stumbled over to the back door instead of the stairs. He kept mumbling unintelligibly as they disappeared up the stairs.

"What was _that_?" Archie asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know," Theresa said. "But it's the weirdest thing I've ever seen. He didn't even look at his reflection in the spoon! He always does that."

A very confused looking Herry walked back into the kitchen. "Maybe we should take Neil to Chiron, Ms Athena. He tried to go to sleep in the shower…"

* * *

After an hour of apocalyptic tantrums, most from Neil and Athena, the teens were finally free to leave the Brownstone. And it wasn't a moment too soon, for they were certainly being driven out of their minds by Neil's hysteric shouts about the bags forming under his eyes. Especially since this was interspersed with him falling asleep in the middle of sentences and Athena's increasingly angry grunts of annoyance. In the end Athena had concluded that Neil was simply suffering from extreme exhaustion and that he'd best be left alone.

The titans' spirits were instantly lifted when they walked out the front door. After all, who could stop themselves from smiling when faced with a hyperactive seventeen year old jumping in the snow? Indeed, Gareth was so excited at being able to see and touch snow for the first time that he seemed to be positively giddy. He didn't even seem upset when he managed fall over his own feet in spectacular fashion.

Thus they were all in high spirits when they walked through the portal to the Titan wing. Their happiness was seemingly infectious for Apollo, with a magnificently large grin on his face, stampeded in their direction the moment he saw them.

"Hello!" he exclaimed in his overly accentuated Italian voice and took hold of Gareth's arm. "It's good to see you Gareth. Come to my studio. We have a lot of training ahead of us."

Gareth couldn't find a gap to protest for Apollo kept up an ongoing stream of commentary as he dragged Gareth behind him.

"But Pan's my mentor!" Gareth finally managed to say. "He's waiting for me."

Apollo's face fell slightly and for a moment he looked positively livid, but he almost immediately regained his composure and resumed his journey to his studio.

"Nonsense! Hera knows that I am most fit to be your mentor. Pan must have misunderstood Hera when they spoke the other day…"

Gareth couldn't get his arm loose from Apollo's grip and finally had to resign himself to being dragged through the Titan wing.

"Hey there little dude!" a familiarly laid back voice suddenly said. Both Apollo and Gareth froze and looked as Pan sauntered in their direction. "Sorry I nearly missed you buddy. My place is this way," he said while pointing in the direction opposite that in which Apollo was pulling Gareth.

"Don't worry about it," Apollo said while straining to pull Gareth after him. "I'll take care of the boy."

Pan looked slightly annoyed. "For the last time, Apollo, Gareth is _my _student. Hera asked me to teach him. Now can you stop dragging him around, please?"

Apollo froze in his tracks once more. His rounded belly positively quivered in indignation. "I am the true master of music!" he said, his last word making him sound like a cow with his overtly expressed Italian voice. "Hera can't possibly be right. It is too important a task to entrust to you."

"I can connect with him. We have a lot more in common. So stop ignoring Hera's orders and let go of my student!" Pan was evidently trying to do his best to keep his voice steady.

Apollo's eyes flashed with searing rage. He did not like being ordered around. "Who are you to tell me what to do? I am the best _man_ for the job! You are nothing more than a goat with-"

Pan's posture stiffened so suddenly that even Apollo was taken off guard. 'Goat' was quite obviously a rather dangerous word to mention around him.

"I don't think that an overweight, wannabe god who couldn't be any Euro-trashier if he tried can tell me anything about being the best man for the job!" Pan's eyes seemed quite capable of gouging chunks of flesh from Apollo at that moment.

Jay cleared his throat nervously. "Uhm… we'll be going now," he said.

The quarrelling gods ignored him and continued their verbal fight. Gareth, who was still being clutched firmly by Apollo, gave his fleeing friends a pleading glance. They shot him a grouped smile of guilt before scampering off to their own mentors. Gareth suddenly wished that he was back in the Brownstone with Neil wailing in his ears.

* * *

The sky was stained with shards of crimson and gold as she limped onto the nearly abandoned airfield. Nighttime was fast approaching and she had to get to her destination before then. Her very existence depended on it. They'd catch up with her if she was too slow.

In the distance she saw a small aircraft being prepared for take-off. So far, luck was on her side and she quickly hobbled over to it. To avoid being seen she crouched behind one of the aircraft's large wheels; cringing in pain as she did so. Precious minutes passed as she waited for the fuel truck to dislodge and roll away on the dusty tarmac. The sky was now turning an angry shade of blue. Her time was almost up.

The field attendant turned his back and she seized her chance. As quietly as possible she hobbled over to the far side of the aircraft and pulled herself up the tiny steps. She stumbled to the far side of the cabin and hid behind one of the seats. Another few of her remaining precious minutes ticked away as she waited. Through the tiny window above her she could see the first star twinkling like a beacon of doom.

The sound of the cabin door closing caught her attention. Moments later a man in a blue uniform walked by and disappeared through the door that led to the cockpit. The heavy whine of the aircraft's engines started up a few minutes later.

Knowing that there was no possible way to stop her now she crept from her hiding place and headed for the tiny kitchen at the back of the plane. Quietly she pulled open all the cabinets till she found what she was looking for. Then she moved back down the isle towards the cockpit.

"Tango five-seven-eight you are cleared for take-off; unrestricted climb to altitude of thirty-thousand feet," a monotonous voice droned in the cabin.

"Roger that, command tower," the pilot responded.

The plane slowly turned and started moving down the runway. Without a second's hesitation she stormed forward and shoved the blade to his throat. The pilot gasped in shock and pulled so hard on the steering mechanism that the aircraft veered slightly to the left.

"Keep us moving," the woman ordered.

"Tango five-seven-eight, you have veered slightly off course. What's your status?" the monotonous voice from the command tower inquired.

"Tell him nothing!" she hissed. She removed a piece of paper from her pocket and dropped it on his lap. "You have a new destination. You will take me here," she commanded while pointing at the words on the paper.

The pilot held his hand over the microphone. "Lady, you don't have to do this. You-"

A strangled yelp escaped his lips as she pressed the blade harder against his throat. A single tear of blood slipped from the tiny cut she made. She sniffed the air and licked her lips hungrily.

"I will kill you if you don't take me where I want to go."

"But lady, Canada is too far off my flight plan! How do I explain this to the command tower?"

"You'll think of something," she said and pressed the blade a little harder to emphasize her threat.

The pilot swallowed hard and, after a moment's hesitation, took his hand from the microphone. "Command tower, this is Tango five-seven-eight. I've just received new coordinates from home base."

"Roger that Tango five-seven-eight. What's your destination?"

The pilot glanced at her with wide eyes before speaking, "New Olympia, Canada."

Sybaris smiled evilly.

* * *

Steely eyes looked into brown as their silent duel continued. Hera had her seemingly delicate hands intertwined as she leaned forward with her chin resting on them. Her poker face was as devoid of emotion as ever.

"Your move, Jay," she said.

Jay looked down at the chess board in front of him. He marveled at how different this particular match was when compared to the ones he had played with Odie and Gareth that morning. He knew that it shouldn't surprise him. It was the same with combat training, after all. There was always so much more at stake with the real thing... Strategy lessons with Miss Hera always seemed to be a little unorthodox. He slowly moved his pawn a space ahead on the board.

"So how are things going with the team and Gareth? Are they getting along?" Miss Hera asked while concentrating hard on one of her pawns.

"They're doing okay. Gareth's kinda cool… in his own way. Is there a reason you're worried about this, Miss Hera?"

Hera smiled. "I was just worried that his… affection for Herry might cause friction," she said while moving her pawn toward one of Jay's rooks.

Jay looked at the threatened piece with a furrowed brow. "There's nothing to worry about. Herry doesn't seem to be bothered. I know you're worried that this might break the team, Miss Hera," he said and moved his rook.

Hera smiled slightly. "What about Cronus?" she asked and moved her black knight into striking distance of his king.

Jay frowned a little. "We haven't heard anything from him since the fight at the plaza. Maybe he's running out of ideas?" he suggested and moved his king to safety.

Hera's smile faded. "And Lilith?"

"Um… didn't we defeat her?" Jay asked in surprise.

There was a pronounced frown on Hera's face now. "Jay, how many times have I told you to _never_ underestimate your opponents. Lilith was an extremely powerful adversary," she said while staring at her black queen. "Do you really believe that a simple blast from Gareth could defeat her?"

Jay looked into Miss Hera's grey eyes. They voiced the answer to his question even before he asked it.

"Could she… still be alive?"

Hera moved her black queen to his king. "Check mate."

* * *

Both Pan and Gareth sat together in the centre of the gym floor while breathing deeply. They were trying to focus on their powers while Theresa, Atlanta and Odie looked on from the bleachers. They would have no trouble with being disturbed by Apollo any further since Pan had made sure that he was 'temporarily tied up' somewhere else.

"This is weird," Gareth said with tightly shut eyes. "I thought you were going to teach me to fight."

"We'll get to that soon enough, little dude. First, though, you'll have to learn to use your powers. So start concentrating. Block everything else out."

"That's easier said than done," Gareth grumbled.

Pan opened his left eye and followed Gareth's line of sight. He was looking at his friends on the stands and blushing slightly.

"Forget about them. They're not here. _Focus _Gareth. This is important," Pan instructed. "Try to remember how you felt the other times you used your powers and visualize what you want to do."

Gareth clenched his eyes so tightly that he looked highly constipated. A few seconds passed without anything happening.

Pan sighed. "Come on, Gareth! How did you feel when you last used your powers?"

"Scared," Gareth replied matter of factly. "I was being attacked by a hoard of friggin zombies!"

"Good! Then try to feel that again," Pan said. "Better yet, get angry! That always works for beginners."

Gareth rolled his eyes and, apparently giving into the heavily clichéd nature of the training session, attempted an angry expression. Instead he came off looking slightly confused.

Pan sighed and got up. He was going to have to give the kid a push in the right direction. He walked up to Gareth and leaned in close to his ear.

"Gareth, I heard you've been having trouble with a bully."

Gareth opened his eyes. "What does that have to do with anything?"

A loud slapping sound echoed through the gym as Pan's hand made contact with the back of Gareth's head. A burst of barely suppressed laughter echoed from the stands.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Close your eyes and stop asking questions," Pan commanded. Gareth apprehensively closed his eyes again. "Now how did it make you feel when he punched you, huh? Didn't you feel embarrassed when he tied you to the ceiling by the front door? Didn't it make you feel completely helpless? Weak? _Useless_…"

For a moment Gareth's face reddened and there was a ripple of dark energy at his fingertips. It was so feeble, however, that it was gone a second later. Pan knew that he was on the right track now. He only needed to use a more powerful emotion.

"Hey Gareth, don't you just love Medelia?" he asked.

Gareth's eyes flew open. "What? No I don't!" Another loud slap echoed through the gym. "Ouch! Okay, _okay_! I'll shut up."

"Good," Pan said and he leaned in closer. "Don't you just love her for wanting to take Jay away from Theresa, _especially_ since she's so much better for him?"

Pan smiled in satisfaction at the reddish tinge that now crept into Gareth's ears.

"After all, she was smart enough to use Herry to get closer to Jay." Gareth's complexion had now turned an alarming shade of crimson and the veins on his face were darkening. "Only he'd be dumb enough to believe-"

The words were choked from Pan's mouth by a cold hand that closed around his throat. Gareth's eyes flew open and revealed the endless darkness that had appeared in them. Without breaking a sweat he got to his feet and lifted Pan from the ground. Shocked shouts echoed from the stands and Gareth's friends rushed toward them.

"Don't _ever_ insult Herry again," he growled in a voice that was not his own. It was demonically deep and chilled the god of the forest to the core. Gareth's hand tightened around Pan's throat.

Pan smiled. "I won't. I'm too preoccupied with his hideously large nose to think about his stupidity," he taunted through gasps for air.

It happened in a blast of chaotic anger. One moment Pan was looking into Gareth's unnaturally blackened eyes, the next they were both blasted into opposite ends of the gym. Gareth smashed into the wall with a sickening thud that echoed dully through the room.

Pan got back on his feet and hastened to join the others who were already helping Gareth to his feet. The blonde boy shook his head slowly and looked around the room with hazy eyes.

"Are you okay?" Pan asked.

"I'm fine," Gareth said shortly. His voice was still much deeper than usual.

"Gareth… You know that I didn't mean those things I said, right?"

Gareth scowled at Pan and rubbed the back of his head. He didn't say a word.

"Look little dude, I had to make you angry," Pan said apologetically. "It's the only way I could get you to use your powers again. I needed to get you angry enough to want to hurt me. And it worked beautifully! Did you see how far you blasted me across the room? You were kinda scary with the black eyes and all, but it was very awesome too!"

Gareth gave the opposite wall a quick glance. "Thanks… But the things you said… Herry's nose-"

"Is perfectly normal," he finished. "Besides, I'm the last person to judge people on their looks," he added while giving one of his dreadlocks a tentative tug. "I didn't mean _any_ of it. Now are we cool again?"

Gareth smiled feebly. "We're cool, as long as we find a way to do that without insulting my friends."

"We'll get there. Wanna give it another go?"

"Sure," Gareth said.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Theresa suddenly asked from beside him. Her forehead was wrinkled in concern. Gareth nodded quickly. "Good. Just take it easy. Okay?" she said and reassuringly placed her hand on his shoulder.

Instantly a shuddering gasp escaped her lips. Theresa bent forward, her eyes turning a dark shade of purple.

"Theresa? What's wrong?" Atlanta asked from beside her. The huntress worriedly took hold of her friend's arm.

"Go get Jay," Theresa gasped. "It's Cronus. Something big is about to happen."

* * *

**Well, I hope y'all enjoyed the chappie! Thanks for reading! **

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	4. The Hickey from Hell

**Hey there my wonderful readers! Welcome to chapter four of RID!**

**To all my reviewers and the people who added this story to their alerts: Thank you so incredibly much! It really means a lot to me guys. You make my day with every single review!**

**I'd like to thank my incredible Beta Reader, tinianiatt, whose brilliance never ceases to amaze and who keeps me on my toes.**

**I think it's safe to say that I'll never own 'Class of the Titans.'**

* * *

Seven heads were pressed together in front of Odie's laptop. Theresa's vision had immediately sparked the necessity for one of their, by now usual, recovery-of-dangerous-artefact missions. Jay had made doubly sure that every single detail of the mission had been taken into account this time, since he didn't want a repeat performance of their last one.

"Now, has everybody got their parts memorised? Don't deviate from the plan at all and be-"

Theresa saved the day by placing a hand over Jay's mouth. "We got it the first fifty times you said it. We'll be fine. Stop stressing about everything."

Jay had no chance to reply for the doors of the aviary suddenly burst open in a highly dramatic fashion. Two of Aphrodite's nymphs leapt through the entrance and threw rose petals into the air, causing a dazzling shower of crimson to rain down upon them. Neil sauntered in after them, looking every bit like a Caesar returning victoriously from battle. He stopped at the apex of the stairs and struck a dashing pose.

"That's right people," he said theatrically. "I'm back!"

He was met with a multitude of blank stares.

Neil leaned in closer to the two nymphs. "Thanks for the entrance girls. You can go back to Aphrodite now." Both curtseyed and quickly dashed from the room.

"Aren't you supposed to be sick?" Archie asked even before Neil had turned his gaze back to them.

"I got better… probably because I'm lucky. Story of my life," Neil droned in a bored voice. "So what's up guys?"

"We're going out for a while," Jay said shortly. "Stay here and rest."

"What? I'm not coming?" Neil was absolutely scandalised at being left out. "But I'm the lucky one! How are you going to get by without my good looks and charm?"

Atlanta snorted. "Somehow, I think we'll manage."

Neil turned to Jay with the most pleading look imaginable. His eyes were positively teary and his lower lip quivered pathetically.

"No way," Jay said firmly. "Just this morning, you were so sick that you didn't even care about how you looked. There's no way I'm letting you go anywhere until we're sure your okay."

For a moment Neil looked positively disgusted at the mention of his haggard appearance that morning. He ripped his mirror out of his pocket and gave his visage a once over. This earned him a multitude of eye rolls.

"But _now_ I look even more fabulous than ever!" he said and resumed the display of his pleading-face.

Theresa sighed exasperatedly. "Just give him what he wants, Jay," she said.

The rest of the group were quick to nod their heads in agreement. They'd do anything to stop Neil's pleading-face from traumatizing them further. Jay gave in and nodded his assent.

Neil blasted them with a dazzling smile. "So where's the party?"

* * *

Neil felt excessively bored as he and Gareth travelled through the, now familiar, halls of the Museum of History. It didn't help that the last golden rays of light, which were seeping through the windows, reminded him of the fact that he was missing out on testing the new hair conditioner that Aphrodite had ordered. _How _could he have forgotten about that? And how in the name of all that was good looking and popular was he supposed to know that they were going out _on a mission. _ But, alas, it was too late to back out now. Jay would kill him, especially after the way he had pleaded to go. Life simply wasn't fair.

"So what is it that Cronus is trying to steal, _again_?" he asked loudly while pressing on the microphone in his ear.

A group of old ladies who were leaving the building gave him scandalized looks as they passed by. At the same time a multitude of shushes came back over his microphone.

"Neil! Stop talking so loud. You're attracting attention," Jay ordered.

"But I do that anyway. Besides, you haven't answered my question, what's this thing that Cronus is trying to ste- wants."

"We don't know what it is," Jay said shortly. "Just hurry and get it before Cronus does."

"It was your vision, Theresa," Neil whined persistently. "Didn't you get any more information on whatever 'it' is?"

A feminine voice sighed on the other side of the microphone. "No Neil, I didn't. I only saw that Cronus was going to try and get something from the museum. Whatever it is, we don't want Cronus to have it."

There were a few moments of silence. Then Neil cocked his head slightly in Gareth's direction and examined the unnaturally silent boy's face.

"What's wrong with you?" Neil asked.

"Nothing, I just want to get this over with."

"Why? Weren't you all hyper excited the first time we came here."

Gareth glared at Neil in annoyance. "A lot has changed since then, Neil. I don't want Cronus to hurt anybody. I'll stop stressing when we're back home. Can we drop it now?"

"Geeze, _somebody's_ majorly grumpy when they're stressed!" Neil retorted.

Gareth looked like he was going to reply scathingly, but was stopped abruptly by Jay's stern voice over the microphone.

"Will you two stop talking and focus on the mission? The world is at stake here."

Neil wanted to tell Jay to stop overreacting, but thought better of it. He didn't want to test his leader's patience, especially not since he'd started dating Theresa. That girl's over-dramatic reactions had been rubbing off on her boyfriend of late…

"So where is this thing we're supposed to get?" Gareth asked.

"In my vision Cronus was standing next to the statue of Atlas, in the Ancient History section. It must be somewhere in that area," Theresa replied quickly.

"Man, Cronus is lame," Neil suddenly said. "This is the third time he's tried something like this."

"I know. Isn't it pathetic?" Gareth said with a sudden smile on his face. "He must be running out of ideas."

The two boys chortled a little at Cronus' expense, before the realization that they were actually bonding stifled their soft laughter. Both seemed to feel a little awkward. Things had been slightly strained between them after what happened the night of the battle at the Herculean plaza and both were surprised that it didn't seem to matter anymore.

"There it is," Gareth said as the petrified form of Atlas came into sight. He had regained the stressed expression on his face.

"Finally!" Neil exclaimed. "Let's get the stupid thing, whatever it is, and get out of here."

The two blondes rushed toward the display next to the statue, but stopped dead in their tracks when a familiarly black suited man stepped out from behind the statue of Atlas. His crimson eyes burnt with their usual evil heat. He drew his scythes and approached them menacingly.

A beat of silence filled the room and then, quite unexpectedly, both boys burst into fits of hysterical laughter.

"Man, you suck!" Gareth said through gasps of laughter. "I can't believe you're doing the projection thing _again_."

Neil too was in stitches. "Yeah, and you really should do a little more work with your projections. Their hair really looks worse than the mess we usually have to endure from you."

Gareth finally managed to calm down and walked past the red eyed Titan. He looked down at the display with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"What the heck do you want with an ancient text on Greek pottery?"

Instantly, and quite unexpectedly, a glinting scythe blade appeared before Gareth and pulled up to his neck. Neil's laughter died away when he saw the sudden rigidness in his teammate's posture. It almost looked as if Gareth could feel the projection. The scythe pulled Gareth closer to Cronus in what eerily resembled a reaping motion. Cronus leaned closer to Gareth and closed his, very real, hand around his throat.

"Thank you for delivering yourself to me," he said while smiling vindictively, "how very unfortunate for you that I learn from my mistakes."

* * *

The entire team ran down the hallway at break neck speed. They ignored the protestations of passersby about running indoors and stormed into the near deserted Ancient History section of the museum. Three familiar figures were waiting for them. They were all standing in the shadow of Atlas' statue which lent a very eerie atmosphere to the entire scene.

"So nice of you to join us Jay," Cronus said. "I-"

"Why do I always have to be the damsel in distress?" Gareth asked angrily; not caring about the fact that he had interrupted what promised to be one of Cronus' more long winded speeches.

All eyes turned on him. He was standing lazily between Cronus and the scythe-blade that was keeping him in place. He looked more than just a little miffed.

He looked up at Cronus. "I mean, isn't Neil the more obvious choice for a prisoner?"

Neil shrugged. "He's right. I'm the best."

"Well I did consider it," Cronus conceded. He looked slightly confused. "You were just-" He stopped mid sentence. His eyes bugged out for a moment before being overwhelmed by anger. "Why are we discussing this? You are my prisoner. Be quiet and let me negotiate!"

Gareth rolled his eyes. Cronus opened his mouth to continue, but was, once again, cut off.

"Oh for heavens' sake! Let's just get this over with. Jay," Gareth said turning to his leader, "he's going to demand that you give him something if you want me back alive." Gareth looked up at Cronus again. "Can we finish this already?"

Cronus looked positively speechless. It was as if Gareth had read his mind.

"Gareth, what's gotten into you?" Theresa asked in awe. This was definitely a far cry from the timid little man she had come to know and love.

He stared into Theresa's eyes and gave her, her answer even before she asked. The dark rings around his irises said it all… A mad idea suddenly shot into her mind.

"Enough! This is _my _hostage situation and you will all listen to me!" Cronus looked extremely infantile and Theresa half expected him to stamp his foot on the ground. "Jay, if you want this annoying brat to live to the next sunrise then you will retrieve some information for me. You will break into Hera's quarters and find the whereab-"

This time it was Theresa who interjected. "Everybody cover their ears!"

All the inhabitants of the room shifted their attention to Theresa.

"What?" Jay whispered.

"_Stop interrupting me!_" Cronus bellowed. "Don't you children have any manners?"

Nobody paid Cronus any attention.

"Trust me," she said, trying to stress a hidden message with her eyes. She dared a glance in Herry's direction before looking back at Jay with wide eyes.

Jay got the message and covered his ears. The others were quick to follow suit.

Theresa turned back to Gareth. It grated on her very last nerve to say the next few words, but she knew Gareth's life depended on it.

"Medelia is using Herry to get to Jay."

With satisfaction she saw that he understood what she was doing. She was even more pleased to see that he couldn't control his reaction. His eyes were steadily darkening.

"And she thinks of Jay every time she kisses," she paused dramatically before saying the last magic word, "Herry."

A roar of outrage blasted from Gareth's lips. His eyes were instantly flooded with darkness and the veins on his face pulsed angrily.

In one quick motion he slammed the back of his head into Cronus' face and sent the god of time stumbling backward. He ducked away from the sharp scythe and delivered a devastating punch to the time god's lower abdomen. With one fluid motion Gareth slashed his right hand through the air. The shadows instantly came alive and mimicked his movement. They slammed into Cronus and sent him flailing through the air like a rag doll.

Gareth let out another bone chilling roar and, to everyone's surprise, stormed towards Cronus. Every bit of darkness in the room seemed to become sentient and surged after him like an army of night.

Cronus gasped fearfully and quickly slashed a portal into existence with his scythes. He disappeared with his usual threat of making them pay.

For a few moments Gareth was rooted to the spot. His chest heaved from the sudden exertion and his face was a mixture of anger and confusion. Slowly the darkness left his eyes and the veins on his face became invisible again. He seemed to be somewhat scared.

"What was _that_?" Atlanta asked after a moment of silence.

"That was what Gareth is capable of," Theresa said proudly. "It's the same thing that happened when Pan made him angry earlier today. He loses his inhibitions and his powers sort of flow naturally."

Atlanta gave Theresa a quizzical look. She had just sounded a lot like a school teacher.

"At least that's what I think," she said softly. "Let's get out of here."

For a moment Gareth hesitated. Theresa looked at him questioningly.

"Aren't you afraid of me," he asked looking every bit like a scared little boy.

Theresa gave him the most motherly smile she could muster. "Not at all, you'd never hurt anyone you love. So just relax."

Gareth gave a weak little smile and, with his head bowed slightly, sauntered over to his friends. Together they left the museum while chattering incessantly about Gareth's incredible fight and laughing at the scared look on Cronus' face.

* * *

To say that the trip back to the Brownstone was highly emotional would be an understatement. Between Gareth's fears of hurting a friend, Neil's incessant chatter and Herry and Archie's aggravated growls there was very little monotony to bore them.

Indeed, Herry and Archie seemed to take Cronus' attempt to take someone hostage very badly. Archie was obviously scared that it could have been Atlanta, who had been the first choice to enter the museum. Herry's motivation, however, was a bit unclear. In the end Atlanta had silently concluded that he just didn't like to see his friends in danger.

"Are you okay?" Atlanta heard Theresa whisper.

She turned to Theresa who was looking straight at Gareth. The blonde haired boy looked rather pale. He nodded.

"You don't have to lie to me, Gareth. You can't. I'm psychic, remember? Just tell me what's wrong."

Gareth quickly scanned the truck to make sure that no one was listening in, then turned back to Atlanta and Theresa.

"I'm just worried that… I might be, you know… _evil_," his last word was the merest of whispers. "It's just that my eyes seem to go just as black as Lilith's when I get angry."

Both Theresa and Atlanta burst into laughter. The boys at the front of the truck shot them curious glances, which were almost immediately diverted when they saw Gareth's angry scowl.

"It's not funny! What if I end up hurting one of you guys when I go all berserk? The fact that it works best when I'm angry isn't good either. Nothing good comes from being angry."

Theresa gave Gareth a most pitying look and gently squeezed his shoulder to calm him.

"I know you've heard this before, but the fact that you're worried about hurting people and that it's weighing on your conscience means that you're _not_ evil!" she smiled in quite a motherly fashion. "We all have a bit of darkness in us Gareth. The only thing that matters is how we control it. You've never hurt anyone who was innocent. Not even Daren who's constantly bullying you. Instead you chose to unleash your powers on the one truly evil man who attacked you. And then it was only after I insulted people you care about. Don't you see? It's all so very selfless! So _stop _worrying about it already."

Gareth blushed slightly and suddenly became very interested in his sneakers.

"I'm not all that," he said.

Atlanta leaned over and playfully ruffled his hair. "Nobody ever is. But you're still pretty cool."

At last Herry's truck came to a halt in front of the Brownstone. They all trouped out and sauntered into the building for a well deserved rest.

"I can't wait to get my hands on some of my new moisturising cream," Neil exclaimed to no one in particular. In truth no one really wanted to hear about his perfect pores. "Fighting Cronus can be so stressful on my-"

A very loud gasp escaped his lips when he finally took the time to look at the room they were in. The couches were turned over and the television set lay smashed on the floor. All over the floor lay bits and pieces of ripped up books and magazines.

In a flash of silver Jay's xiphos was drawn and ready for battle.

"Archie, Atlanta and Neil, go check the rooms upstairs for any intruders. Herry, Theresa and I will look down here. Call for help if you find anything."

They nodded and raced up the stairs. Atlanta zipped ahead of Archie and checked every single room on the upper floors while ignoring his warnings to be careful and wait up. She didn't have time to waste with being overly cautious. Besides, there wasn't that huge a chance of the intruder still being there. The thief must have grabbed what he wanted and left.

"Done," she said when she zipped back to Archie, who had just finished checking the first room.

He scowled at her. "Are you crazy? We stick together, remember, what if some maniac with a knife jumped out at you?"

"Then I'd have kicked his butt," Atlanta said simply, enjoying the look of annoyance on Archie's face.

He was rather cute when he was being protective, chauvinistic and irritating, yes, but still very cute. She gave him a wicked grin before racing back down the stairs.

"Our rooms have been messed up too," she said when she reached the others. "It looks like they were looking for valuable stuff, couldn't see if anything was missing."

"Same with the kitchen and the rest of the floor," Jay reported. "They even raided the fridge."

Herry snorted like an angry bull. He was taking the devastation of his food supply rather badly.

"Well, no one's here anymore. I wonder what they wanted," Theresa mused.

"I don't know, but if I get my hands on them…" Archie mimicked a strangling motion.

It was at that moment that the closet door behind him burst open. A blurred female figure launched herself onto Archie's back and brought her mouth down onto his neck.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed in between curses. "Get this thing off me!"

The woman seemed to be trying to bite him. Her mouth feverishly sucked on his neck while her clawed hands raked at his chest.

An angry growl escaped Atlanta's lips and in one fluid motion she jumped over the broken furniture that separated them and smashed her balled fist into the woman's face. The brunette fell to the floor in spectacular fashion. She didn't have time to get up before Atlanta was on top of her, pummelling away with her fists.

"What- gives you- the right- to touch- _my_ boyfriend!" she yelled in between punches.

"Atlanta, no!" Archie said weakly while pulling her away from the woman.

Atlanta's fists and feet kept striking out uselessly at the brunette. Truth be told she looked as livid as a lioness whose cub had been hurt.

Herry quickly grabbed the brunette by the scruff of her neck and lifted her from the ground. A collective gasp shuddered through the room when her face became visible. Herry was so shocked at seeing her that he accidentally dropped her.

"Sybaris? How…"

"Cronus!" Jay exclaimed. "This must all be part of his plan."

"Um… obsessive much?" Gareth asked. "Didn't we just kick his butt on another mission? She could have been sent by someone else."

Jay ignored the comment on obsessiveness and conceded to Gareth's logic. He turned back to Sybaris who Herry was holding at arm's length.

"What are you doing here, Sybaris? What were you looking for?"

"I do not have to speak to you," she hissed. "You cannot make me say anything."

She smiled wickedly at her own incompliance. Jay stepped closer and brought his face close to hers.

"Then it's lucky I know someone who can help us with that problem," he said.

The smile on Sybaris' face vanished.

* * *

**Thanks for reading this chappie! I do hope you enjoyed it a lot!**

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**Have a splendiferous day/night! :)**


	5. Troubled Vision

**Moshi-Moshi! Welcome to chapter five my wonderful readers!**

**I'd like to thank all my amazing reviewers! And since it is the day before Christmas and this is the fifth chappie I'd like to call shout out their awesome names for all my readers to see. They are: dazzeling diamond, elegos-sirinial-shamtul, .Invisible-Nobody., Zialicious, 4evacrazy, tinianiatt, Wings of Corrugated Irony, photo41, Philia-Calliope (Hee!) and Ferlinda the Dreamweaver.**

**As always, I'd like to thank the brilliance that is tinianiatt. Girl, you are so awesome for doing such amazing Beta work!**

**;_; I don't own it!!!!**

* * *

Her ragged gasps rasped through the gym as another bucket of water was thrown in her face. Hera's slapped her with brutal force; leaving her right cheek swollen and red.

"For the last time, Sybaris, why were you inside the Brownstone?"

Sybaris lifted her head slightly and glared into Hera's eyes with venomous hate. Her lips remained as unmoving and incompliant as ever. She turned to the bleachers and looked, for what felt like the millionth time, in the direction of the teenagers.

Gareth leaned slightly closer to Atlanta. "Shouldn't Athena or Ares be doing this? I didn't think Hera could be so… angry."

"Ms Hera and Sybaris have hated each other for a long time. She probably wants to handle it personally." They both cringed slightly when another loud slap echoed through the room. "Still… it's kinda creepy to see her all angry and mean."

"Should we even be watching this?" Gareth asked.

He felt a light tap on his should and looked straight up at Jay and Theresa.

"Yes, we should," Jay said with a revolted expression. "We might have to do this someday."

"Besides, there's no use in being all touchy about it when you consider everything we've already been through," Archie added from the other side of Atlanta.

"Still, Ms Hera could have opted for a psychoactive drug instead; maybe Scopolamine or Sodium Thiopental?" Odie sighed at the, now predictable, multitude of blank stares he received. "Truth serum."

"Oh! But isn't that kinda like torture as well?" Theresa asked.

Odie shrugged. "It's much more humane."

Sybaris' delirious laughter suddenly interrupted their conversation. She was leaning forward in her chair; drunk with hysteria.

"Come on, Hera. You can do better than that!" she said between gasps of laughter. "Or has you're talent for vindictiveness faded with your hair colour?"

Hera jumped forward and, grabbing hold of a bush of her hair, pulled Sybaris' face back so she could look into her eyes.

"Don't toy with me, Sybaris," Hera snapped. "What are you up to?"

Sybaris gave another hysteric little giggle. "Now I get it! You're afraid. You're worried that I have done something that will hurt your human pets." Sybaris looked contemptuously at the teens on the bleachers. "Now you know what it feels like to fear losing your children."

"Yes. They're _my_ children. You'd do well to remember that and keep your distance. Now, what were you doing in the Brownstone?" Hera reiterated through clenched teeth.

The teens let out a collective gasp. Both at seeing the incredibly defiant expression on Sybaris' face- an incredible feat in the face of Hera's anger- and at Hera calling them her children. She had always called them children, but never _her _children. They marvelled at the fact that it was possible to be both scared and touched by someone at the same time.

"Answer me!" Hera seemed to be losing control.

"Hera dear, calm down," Zeus had come down from the bleachers to join her.

For a moment Hera stood there breathing heavily. She looked from Zeus to Sybaris as if seeing her surroundings for the very first time. She blinked a few times; then stood back.

"Giving up so soon?" Sybaris taunted.

Hera closed her eyes and pursed her lips. She seemed to be using all her strength to calm herself and keep from strangling Sybaris.

"I'm too old for this nonsense," she stated and moved further away from the chair to which Sybaris was tied.

"Sybaris, I'd cooperate if I were you," Zeus said in his relaxed British tone. "You are our prisoner and will only make things worse for yourself by continuing to defy us. Just tell us what you were doing in the Brownstone."

Sybaris looked Zeus straight in the eye, but remained stonily silent. She didn't dare taunt him like she did Hera. Zeus sighed in irritation and started pacing in front of the chair. He seemed to be contemplating their next move.

The gentle sound of a girl clearing her throat echoed through the gym. Gareth looked behind him to see Theresa's hand raised as if she was answering a question in school.

"Um… Zeus," she said hesitantly.

The god of thunder looked up at the nervous red head in wonder. It was quite clear that the gods had forgotten about the teens' presence in the room.

"Yes Theresa?" he inquired.

"I was just wondering… maybe I could help… I am psychic after all. Maybe I could try to read her mind?" Theresa suggested.

"No! I won't allow it," Hera said sternly from beside Zeus. "I don't want you children any nearer to this monster than you have to be."

Zeus leaned in closer to Hera. "Hera dear, she might be able to help. We've been wasting a lot of time without making any progress and Theresa might be able to finally get us the information we want. Besides, it would be good practical training in interrogation."

Hera's forehead creased angrily and she looked back up at the bleachers. "All right, I'll allow it. But you are to pull back the moment I tell you to. Is that quite clear?"

"Yes Ms Hera," Theresa answered.

Slowly she got up and stumbled down the bleachers. She seemed to be painfully aware of all the eyes staring straight at her as if she had a bull's-eye on her back.

Gareth looked behind him and saw that Theresa wasn't the only nervous one in the room. Jay's fists were clenched tightly and his eyes were fixed on Theresa as she moved further and further away from him. It looked as if he was trying to restrain himself from running down the bleachers and stopping this madness.

Theresa finally came to a halt in front of Sybaris, who looked at her apprehensively. She seemed to be trying to edge away from the redheaded girl, but was stopped by the ropes that bound her to the chair.

"Remember to focus!" Persephone yelled from the bleachers.

Theresa sighed and nodded quickly. In one swift motion she closed her eyes and moved her hands to the sides of Sybaris' face. Her skin had barely made contact with Sybaris' when she began to scream.

* * *

She was suffocating in the darkness and there was no one to stop it from taking her. She sank into the night so quickly that she didn't know where she was or even if she still existed.

"Help me!" Theresa screamed without being heard.

She turned, or rather _floated_, around, but saw nothing.

"Theresa- let- go- of- " she heard someone yell.

It sounded like Jay, but his voice was strangely distorted. As if he was calling through a tangibly thick mist. An invisible hand, that could only be his, touched her elbow and instantly she was hit by a vision.

She was looking at Jay and herself. They were locked in a desperate embrace; struggling to keep hold of each other. Both of them were being pulled away from each other; Theresa by Medelia and Jay by Neil. She could read their emotions so clearly. Medelia was filled lust and need while Neil positively drowned in his fear. His lip quivered in a way that was much more believable than the pleading-face he had used earlier that day.

Almost instantly she was pulled out of the vision and thrown back into the darkness. She turned and turned; all the while yelling for Jay to come save her. Then she became aware of another hand pressing on her body. This one was pulling at her wrist. It was slightly calloused and stronger than Jay's. It instantly made Theresa think of Archie and no sooner had she made that connection before she was thrown into another vision. Archie and Atlanta were both hanging over a vast crevice. They were being held up by thick, green vines which coiled and undulated relentlessly. Archie was slowly sinking downward while the vines pulled Atlanta upwards. Her fingers futilely clawed for his. In the distance, behind Atlanta, an animalistic howl could be heard.

As quickly as the vision had come it was gone. Once again, Theresa was back in the dark and this time she concentrated on her body to try and feel the hand she knew she would. A heavy pressure began building up in her hands and it felt like someone was trying to pry them apart.

"Be careful- you- break her fingers," she heard Jay's panic stricken voice yell through the mist.

That's when she knew that the big, strong hands belonged to Herry. He, like the rest of the team, was trying to pull her away from something.

Once more she was flung into a vision. A little boy with dark brown hair stood on top of an enormous stage. He was shyly walking toward a blonde haired woman and held out a crimson rose to her. The blonde stared at him harshly and the rose withered under her gaze.

She was back in the all consuming darkness once more and now she was impatiently waiting to see what came next. Sadly, no hand pressed on her body anymore. Instead a desperate voice echoed in her ears.

"Please let go. Theresa, let go!" Gareth yelled.

She wasn't prepared for the slow way in which the next vision appeared to her, or for the barrage of mental images. The first thing she saw was Odie standing in the middle of a dance floor. He was looking unusually dashing in a fifties-style tuxedo, but contrasted this suave look with a seashell necklace. He seemed to be deep in thought.

The image changed to another in which she was clinging to Neil and Medelia who were desperately pulling away from her. Jay had his hands around her waist and tried to keep her with him, but she wasn't willing or able to let go of the two people now pulling her into the dark.

"Let go Theresa! Let go!" Gareth yelled. Only… his voice sounded strangely like Jay's.

The last two images were mere flashes, but they still scared her more than any of the others. First Theresa saw a flash of light, which illuminated the streets of New Olympia. Everywhere she looked there were abandoned cars and open doorways. Gareth stood in the middle of the road clutching a fireman's axe. He was shaking from head to toe.

"Where do I go?" he asked her. "I don't know what to do."

The image changed before she could respond and she suddenly found herself faced with a human sized glass box. Its walls were grimy and cold and the top was covered with rusty iron bars. The rushing sound of water and screaming rang in her ears.

Theresa's eyes shot open unexpectedly and once more she was standing in the school gym. Gareth was still pleading with her to let go and her friends were still prying at her hands. She looked down to see that she was furiously clutching Sybaris' hair in her hands. Her knuckles had gone white from the pressure.

Slowly, almost unwillingly, her fingers loosened their grip and allowed her friends to pry her hands free. The gym was doused in silence as Jay's arm went around her protectively and he led her to the bleachers. She clung to him like a second skin and refused to let go, even after Hera had assured her that she was safe now. Her body shook involuntarily from everything she'd seen and felt. She had never had such a long and intense vision before.

"Theresa, are you all right?"

She looked up into Jay's incredibly beautiful eyes and nodded. She pulled him even closer to her and tried to squash her body as close to his as possible. Her skin drank in every bit of his warmth it touched. She would- could never let go.

"What did you see?" Hera asked. The aged goddess looked as harassed as Theresa felt.

There was a small moment in which Theresa looked into Hera's grey eyes without knowing what to say. She wanted to speak, but was saved the effort when a familiarly beautiful feminine voice rang out through the gym.

"If you're able to hear my voice then you were all _stupid_ enough to try and read Sybaris' mind," Lilith's voice said in an eerie sing-song fashion.

For a few moments everyone was trying to find the source of the noise. Odie was the first to realize that the voice was speaking through Sybaris' mouth. Her eyes were inky black and stared hungrily at her surroundings. She seemed to be behaving like a bizarre, living telephone.

"Did you really think I'd leave her memories unprotected?" Lilith's voice asked. "I made damn sure they were all secure before letting her escape. She's almost as predictable as you lot. Ran straight to you; like I knew she would. I hope you enjoyed the little jolt of psychic energy I left in her mind. It's supposed to induce visions, but I charged it up to kill. So sad it didn't work…"

Lilith/Sybaris turned her gaze on the teens. She looked at them one by one; pausing a bit on Theresa and Neil, before chuckling and moving on. Finally she rested her eyes on Gareth's tense face. Her face instantly lit up.

"Hello daddy! How are the scars I gave you?"

Gareth turned a whiter shade of pale and looked like he was prepared to storm Sybaris'. Thankfully he was stopped by Archie and Atlanta who both clung to one of his arms. Lilith/Sybaris gave a bored sigh and let her eyes flit through the gym. An evil grin came over her lips. She seemed to be positively elated.

"So _this_ is the hideout of the gods? It looks like a school gym… Ah!" a horrible expression of comprehension dawned on Lilith/Sybaris' face. "You're hiding out in a school to be near your charges. How precious! I wonder which one it is… New Olympia can't have that many schools."

Suddenly Archie bolted from the bleachers and clapped his hands over her eyes. Lilith/Sybaris' maniacal laughter echoed through the gym.

"I know where to find you," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Ares!" Hera barked. The god of war instantly jumped up from the bleachers. "Get her locked up and for heavens' sake, don't let her see any more than she already has!"

Lilith's hysteric laughter echoed through the halls as Ares dragged her away. Hera sighed heavily before turning back to Theresa.

"Theresa dear, are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm okay now, Ms Hera," she said.

"Good. Then, can you tell me what you saw while you were in Sybaris' mind?"

Theresa gave an inner groan of dread, but knew that she could not avoid telling them what she had seen. She hoped that they would be able to understand the vision better than she had, for nothing she'd seen made sense to her.

Unfortunately they didn't get it either. She could see it in the lines appearing on Hera's brow and hear it in the silence that never seemed to lift while she spoke.

"That makes absolutely no sense!" Neil exclaimed. "Are you sure your psychic wires aren't a little crossed? The evil girl _did _say that the whole shock thingy was supposed to kill you."

Theresa glared at Neil. "Yes, I'm sure! My visions aren't always straightforward you know. There's a lot of symbolism involved."

Neil very wisely chose to abstain from any further communication. He could see that Theresa wasn't in the mood to mess around with him.

"What do we do now?" Jay asked Hera.

"Nothing," Hera said. "There is nothing we can do at the moment. I'll have to continue my efforts to get into Sybaris' mind later. You children should probably get back to the Brownstone. It has been a very long day and you have a lot of cleaning ahead of you."

Even Athena groaned at hearing that.

* * *

Things returned back to a relatively normal state in the days that followed. Sure it had taken them hours to get the Brownstone cleaned up. And yes, security had been tightened to an all time high, but still, things were running a lot more smoothly than that horrible day in which Cronus and Sybaris had attacked.

Everyone had settled back into a relatively comfortable routine: Archie and Atlanta were back to going on long skateboarding trips and blaming their extra-rosy cheeks on skating too vigorously, Neil had managed to secure a string of new modelling jobs and Theresa was working hard with Persephone to decipher the deeper meaning of her vision. Jay was to be seen travelling back and forth from the Brownstone and the school to help Hera with the interrogation of Sybaris- so far they had made no progress- while Herry kept himself busy with training for an upcoming wrestling championship.

Gareth's routine was probably the most mysterious of them all. He kept disappearing directly after school and returning to the Brownstone covered in soot. He absolutely refused to tell anyone what he was up to and kept coming up with dumb stories to explain his appearance; the dumbest being that he was trying out a new skin treatment.

Odie had returned to working on the inter dimensional-adaptor for Hermes' portal and had managed to enable it to retrieve items from Gareth's world. So far there was no luck with actually _sending_ anything there. They sure did have a lot of fun watching _The Lion King_, which they had retrieved from Gareth's DVD collection, though, especially at the scene where Mufasa died. There was nothing more hilarious than seeing Herry and Archie blinking rapidly while trying to hide the fact that they were sad. Unless you compared it to Gareth and Theresa who were clinging to each other while crying hysterically. Atlanta looked at them as if they were slightly disturbed and started to needle Archie about the unusual moistness of his eyes.

All in all, it was one of the most enjoyable weeks they had had in a long time. The normalcy, however was not to last. Exactly one week after the fight with Cronus, Neil was late for breakfast again. An annoyed Athena looked up at the ceiling and called out his name, but received only a mournful wail as answer. Less than ten minutes later it was determined that Neil was suffering from yet another case of extreme exhaustion. At least, that's what Athena and Chiron called it. Neil's friends, however, didn't completely believe this explanation anymore. There was just something in the worried expression on Chiron's face that didn't reassure them.

Strangely, it took less than half a day's rest for Neil to be back to his old perfect self. He once again claimed that his luck was responsible for his miraculous recovery and sped out the front door to go do research on a new exfoliating cream he had heard of. Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be as well acquainted with Neil anymore. His bouts of 'exhaustion' had now become a weekly thing and pretty soon even Archie looked slightly worried. There was just something about the weekly pattern of his illness and his quick recoveries that didn't add up. They could only hope that this strange new phase in their lives would pass soon and that Neil would be all right.

* * *

**Thanks for reading this chappie! I know it was a bit shorter than usual, but hopefully you found it enjoyable!**

**Please take a little time to review this chappie. I always love getting messages from my AWESOME reviewers and don't mind constructive criticism. I'd love to hear any theories, opinions or general thoughts on the story, characters etc.**

**Everyone gets to watch their movies with the hero/es of their choosing. BTW, WOCI you are a kinky girl! It's a good thing Pirates of the Carribean is a long movie because I have NO idea how you are going to keep four guys occupied at once! ;) This time each reviewer gets rewarded with free Mistletoe-time with the hero/es of their choosing!**

**Have an amazing day/night! :)**


	6. Mistletoe and Ho Ho Hoes

**Season's Greetings! Welcome to the sixth chappie of RID! **

**Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers! Guys and Girls, you are absolutely awesome!**

**Also thank you, tinianiatt, for being such an amazing Beta reader!**

**Sadly, I do not own 'Class of the Titans.'**

* * *

The sands of time sifted through the hourglass of the year like pure white flakes of snow on the wind and slowly the days passed. Shop windows became crowded with bright displays of reindeer and elves and multi-coloured lights glowed over every single awning, window, doorway or tree. Christmas carollers took their places on street corners and sang until the spirit of Christmas had overtaken the crisp, cold winter air.

Even the young heroes were, for once, allowed to enjoy themselves. Sybaris' outburst and the conversation with Lilith had been their last sighting of an enemy; thus they were able to go out on little trips to see the lights in the city and get out of the Brownstone. The frozen pond in the local park had become a favourite haunt of theirs and they spent many hours just gliding around on the ice.

Gareth, who, as a South African, hadn't really had much contact with the concept of ice skating, found it a rather difficult skill to master and received countless bruises on his legs and backside as a result. This didn't dampen his spirits, however, and he quickly got back on his feet and wobbled further across the ice.

Thus it was on the night before Christmas that they made their way to the frozen pond for one final pre-Christmas-day skating session. They were all laughing and throwing around snowballs at random intervals when Gareth's skates ran away with him for what felt like the millionth time. He slid across the ice with a spectacular squeal and crashed straight into Theresa. It took Gareth a few moments to struggle back to his feet. And when he finally did, it was to find a surprisingly happy smile on Theresa's face. There was a strange glint in her eyes. Gareth could easily call it mischievous…

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm perfectly fine," she said innocently and began to skate away from him.

Gareth shrugged his shoulders and got back to his skating practice. He hadn't glided more than five feet when suddenly his skates spun out of control again. He pushed hard with his legs and tried to glide forward. His skates, however, had a different idea in mind and spun him around in a perfectly smooth half circle. With one swift move his skates jerked forward and he found himself speeding across the ice. It was as if they had a mind of their own. Gareth yelled out a warning when he noticed the large, green clad figure standing in his path. Unfortunately it was too late and he ended up crashing into Herry with such force that they were both knocked off their feet.

"Oh! Man, I'm so sorry," Gareth said quickly as he tried to get himself off of Herry.

He had just managed to raise himself to his elbows when his feet slipped unexpectedly and he fell back onto Herry. A muffled 'oomph' escaped Herry's lips. Gareth was painfully aware of the warmth of Herry's breath on his face and the rhythmic way in which his chest moved up and down with every breath he took. It had suddenly become very difficult to think of anything at all, let alone think straight. He was horrified by the mingled look of confusion and awkwardness in Herry's eyes, but also found he was unable to look away.

He heard a voice near him. It took him a few moments to register the fact that somebody was holding their hand out to him. With great effort he pulled his eyes away from Herry and looked at the hand. He took hold of it and was swiftly pulled to his feet. Gareth thanked the bystander who had helped him up and turned to look at his friends. Sure enough he could see Theresa looking supremely satisfied and grinning like the Cheshire cat in front of a bowl of cream.

Their time at the frozen pond seemed to have ended with Gareth and Herry's collision and the group of teens headed back to the Brownstone. They spent the rest of their evening watching the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer special on television and telling each other jokes. One by one they left for bed until, finally, Gareth sauntered up the stairs at a quarter to twelve.

That night he found himself unable to sleep. Considering his excitement for what was to come the following day, this was no surprise. Sleeping was, however, made even more difficult by the memory of his run in with Herry at the frozen pond. He couldn't stop himself from replaying those few moments in his mind, over and over again. He lay in the dark for at least an hour before finally falling asleep.

The sun had barely started to shimmer on the snow when Gareth jumped out of bed. He was so excited that it was finally Christmas day that he just grabbed the large bag he had hidden in his closet and bounded down the stairs without a second thought.

He expected to find the living room empty. It was, however, already filled with all of his bleary eyed friends. They turned their gaze on him when he entered the room. For a moment there was silence, and then a ripple of barely suppressed sniggers left their mouths. It was at this moment that Gareth realized he hadn't changed out of his pyjamas. He blushed when he remembered that he was only wearing a green shirt and red boxer shorts with reindeer all over them.

"Good morning _Rudolph_," Atlanta snickered.

"Morning guys," Gareth replied as he sat down next to Theresa and tried to hide his naked legs behind the bag he had brought with him.

In the next few moments Christmas wishes and pleasantries were exchanged. They all seemed rather relaxed.

"What's in the bag?" Neil asked, interrupting a conversation that was still taking place.

Gareth flushed slightly. He had wanted to place the contents of the bag under the tree before the others awoke. That plan had, unfortunately, failed.

"Well… it's your Christmas gifts," Gareth said.

Surprised and happy smiles appeared on all the teens' faces. It was quite evident that none of them had expected Gareth to get them anything for Christmas.

"Okay… let's see," Gareth said as he pulled a thin green box from the bag and read the card on it. "This one is Theresa's."

She took the box from Gareth and, after a few hesitant seconds, ripped the wrapping apart. She let out a small gasp when she removed a fine chain from the box. It had a circular, light blue stone attached to it.

"It's Azurite," Gareth said while pointing to the stone. "It's supposed to increase psychic abilities and help with meditation."

Theresa let out an incredible squeal and quickly engulfed Gareth in a warm hug.

"Thank you! It's incredible," she said happily.

Gareth promptly began giving everyone else their gifts. Archie received a book on writing techniques for aspiring poets, Neil a framed photo of himself- which he instantly deemed the perfect gift- and Jay got a framed map of all the best sailing routes in the local area. Atlanta received a new skateboard, which Hephaestus had modified with mini-booster rockets, while Odie received a T-shirt with the slogan, 'It Ain't Easy to Be a Genius'.

Herry was last to receive his gift. He opened the package and looked into the box with an unreadable expression. Slowly he lifted the black headgear inside and examined it from every angle.

"I figured you needed a new wrestling headset. Your old ones were kinda falling apart…" Gareth explained.

He followed Herry's eyes and saw that he'd found the inscription on the inside of the headgear.

"_World's bravest wrestler_," Herry read out loud. He blinked a few times and placed the headset back on his lap. "Thanks, Gareth."

Gareth beamed and for a few moments everyone just sat and admired their gifts. It didn't take long, however, for Neil's curiosity to get the better of him.

"How did you afford all this?" he asked. "Aren't you broke?"

Gareth gave a rather uncomfortable twitch and shifted around in his chair.

"I didn't really want to tell you, but… I've been working in Hephaestus' workshop for the last few weeks. He agreed to help me pay for your gifts if I cleaned the place up and scrubbed the furnaces."

It took less than two seconds for Gareth to be engulfed in a wave of arms as all his friends took turns hugging him. They all seemed to be rather overwhelmed by the moment. Even Archie managed to smile and pat Gareth on the back.

"So that's why you always came home late with soot all over your face," Theresa said.

Gareth gave a tiny chuckle. "Yeah, and it was totally worth it."

A short while later the last hug was broken and everyone had returned to their seats to examine their gifts and chat about the party that night. Gareth tried to look under the tree as inconspicuously as possible, but ended up being caught by Theresa. She quickly snatched the single square box from beneath it and hid it behind her back.

"You're just gonna have to wait for your gift a little bit longer," she said with a mysterious smile.

Gareth sighed and accepted the fact that he'd have to endure the torture of wondering what his gift was for a few hours longer.

They had a quick breakfast and spent the rest of the day messing around in the snow. To everybody but Herry's chagrin, Medelia decided to join them. She insisted that she didn't mind playing rough and decided to prove it with a snowball fight. Predictably she spent most of the fight targeting Jay and even tried to 'accidentally' slip and fall onto him. Jay, however, had become very agile with all his training and deftly dodged out of her way. He seemed to assuage his conscience with the thought that she must have landed softly in the snow.

"Humph!" Theresa snorted from beside Gareth. "She's so obvious. Even you were more discreet when I forced you to crash into Herry last night."

"I knew it!" Gareth exclaimed. "I knew you were using your powers to push me into Herry!"

Theresa flushed at her slip and chose to ignore the accusatory glare Gareth sent in her direction. After a moment, however, his irritation with Medelia took precedence over his annoyance with Theresa's meddling.

"Wanna have some fun?" he asked her with a wicked grin.

"What do you have in mind?"

He quickly knelt down, scooped a large amount of snow off the ground, packed it into a ball, slung his arm back and flung it with all his might at the back of Medelia's head. She fell forward in spectacular fashion; causing a roar of laughter to erupt around her.

"You're a boy after my own heart," Theresa said proudly before scooping up her own snow ball.

"Charge!" Gareth yelled and they promptly ganged up on Medelia, who was covered in wet snow in a matter of seconds.

They were all laughing happily at the end of the fight and ignored Medelia's huff of outrage. It _was _just a game after all.

* * *

The teens and Medelia walked into the brightly decorated school gym later that evening. The bleachers were covered in Christmas lights and tiny elves flanked the doors. Everywhere they looked there were vibrant decorations and bright Christmas lights. It was the tree in the middle of the room, however, that caught their attention the most. Its tip scraped the top of the ceiling and its branches were weighed down with bright baubles and figurines. Soft music wafted from the speakers that were hidden beneath the branches; instantly putting them in a festive mood.

The evening quickly drifted by with the teens mingling with the gods and exchanging Christmas well wishes. There was one tense moment in which Medelia ran into Chiron, but catastrophe was averted when Odie, thinking quickly, explained that Chiron was wearing a costume to celebrate the festivities.

"That's the fattest reindeer suit I've ever seen," Medelia declared loudly. She seemed completely ignorant of the indignation on Chiron's face.

Quite predictably, the spot near the bowl of eggnog had become a very popular haunt for couples; especially because there was a large sprig of mistletoe hanging there. Many a couple found themselves kissing under the pretence of 'coincidentally' becoming thirsty at the same time. The most notable of these couples were Zeus and Hera who made no less than five trips to that particular spot. Other couples, like Jay and Theresa, were less bothered with the need for mistletoe and just kissed whenever they liked.

Odie became suspicious at seeing their frisky behaviour and, after examining the eggnog, concluded that one of the more 'adventurous' ingredients in the concoction was responsible for the rise in hormonal activity.

Medelia in particular seemed to be more flirtatious than usual and took every chance she could to be alone with Jay. She was thankfully stopped from cornering him under the mistletoe by Gareth and Atlanta, who had volunteered to keep any Jay-Medelia kissage from occurring.

Unfortunately they hadn't reckoned with Medelia's cunning evasive abilities and she managed to dodge them near the Christmas tree. Thus it was that Gareth, Atlanta and Theresa found her throwing herself at Jay near one of the tables of food.

"You know Jay, I always thought you were one of the coolest guys in school," she said in a sickeningly seductive voice. "You're so manly and strong and sophisticated. You're positively Eurosexual…" Medelia's emphasis on the sexual part of the word didn't fall on deaf ears.

Gareth glanced over at Theresa and noticed the expression of extreme rage on her face. He was just in time to grab hold of her arm, for she was about to fling a plate full of food at Medelia. He could not, however, completely break her momentum and the plate ended up flying over Medelia's shoulder and hitting Hercules squarely in the head. Thankfully Hercules was so inebriated by the eggnog he didn't even notice.

"Look, Medelia," they heard Jay say. "I'm with Theresa. I really love her. I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to move on. I don't feel that way about you."

"Oh! That's… okay. I, uh… I have to go now," she said and promptly stormed out of the gym.

The scowl on Theresa's face quickly turned into a smile and she rewarded a surprised Jay with a passionate kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Just for being your wonderful self," she said and resumed kissing him.

The evening wore on and the bowl of eggnog was emptied multiple times. Soon everyone was so relaxed that they didn't even notice the fact that Dionysus had collapsed behind the bleachers or the hungry way in which Pan stared at Atlanta. They were too busy enjoying themselves to take pay attention to such things.

Thus it was that Gareth found himself standing alone in one corner of the gym. He was looking out at his friends who were talking and dancing and singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs. He felt completely content with not being engaged in any of it. He just wanted to savour every bit of the evening. He smiled at seeing their joy. It was so easy to be happy when his friends weren't constantly worried about Cronus, Sybaris or Lilith.

He looked at the dancing figures of Theresa and Jay and, as if she could feel his eyes on her, she looked back. She smiled mischievously and gave him a conspiratorial wink. For a moment Gareth was confused by her behaviour. Then he heard a throat being cleared to his left and realised instantly why Theresa looked so happy. Herry had joined him and was also looking out over the crowd.

"Thanks again for the headgear," Herry said. "It's really cool."

"No problem. I like giving people gifts," Gareth said.

The song ended and the couples in the middle of the gym dispersed to get themselves some refreshments. Gareth wanted to think of something witty and cool to say to break the silence that had fallen between them, but found that his mind had suddenly gone blank. The words that usually seemed so brilliant when he planned them sounded ridiculously childish when he thought about them now.

He was saved the trouble of speaking, however, when a high pitched squeal erupted in their vicinity. Gareth turned to see an ecstatically happy Theresa looking straight at him and Herry.

"What?" he and Herry asked in unison.

"You're standing under the mistletoe!" she exclaimed.

Immediately the entire gym fell silent. Even the music died down. The eyes of all their friends and the gods were magnetically drawn to them.

"No we're not," Gareth said. "The mistletoe is by the bowl of eggnog."

Everyone's eyes instantly travelled upward and came to a rest on a spot somewhere above their heads. Gareth followed their glances and, sure enough, found that a piece of mistletoe was hanging directly above him and Herry.

"Well go on then. Kiss," Theresa said encouragingly. She was clearly having the time of her life.

Both Gareth and Herry reddened considerably. The room had suddenly become very hot and Gareth wished everyone would stop looking at them. He gulped nervously when he saw the confusion on Hercules' face. The fact that Neil and Archie were rolling around in fits of silent laughter did not help.

"Uh… that's okay. We don't have to kiss," Gareth said upon noticing Herry's intense blush.

"You can't back out," Theresa said sweetly. "It's tradition."

"Yeah Herry, go ahead and kiss Gareth," Archie said between gasps for air. He was still clutching his stomach in a fit of laughter.

Gareth looked to Jay for help, but saw only a gleeful smile on his face. He turned to Herry who gave an almost unnoticeable shrug at his questioning look.

Gareth took a tentative step closer to Herry and marvelled at the fact that it was just about the hardest thing he had ever done in his entire life. He and Herry faced each other; neither quite sure of what to do next. Herry's face lowered to Gareth's for what felt like an eternity. Every sound around them disappeared until Gareth could only hear his heart blasting in his throat and Herry's heavy breathing.

Then it happened. Herry's lips touched his and made his heart burst into an uncontrollably frenzied beat. The moment was so perfectly divine that Gareth wished it would never cease to be. Unfortunately it was nothing more than a peck on the lips and Herry pulled back all too soon.

It took a few seconds for Gareth to realise that the kiss was over and that he was still standing with his lips puckered like an idiot. What was worse was the fact that he had somehow closed his eyes during the kiss and only opened them well after it was over. He could see that Herry had turned an even more vivid shade of crimson and that Theresa was practically jumping up and down with joy. They were the only ones who were showing any emotion, however, since the rest of the gym had gone uncomfortably quiet.

"Well uh… I think it's time to end the party and go to bed, then," Hera suddenly said to break the silence.

Everyone agreed and began to disperse; pulling Gareth out of his reverie. He quickly turned and headed for the gym doors, but was stopped when Theresa's voice rang out through the room.

"Wait! We need to take a photo first."

"Oh. All right then. Everybody get together," Hera ordered.

The occupants of the room quickly scurried together and started to position themselves appropriately for the picture. It was in this period of time, when everyone was busy getting ready for the photo to be taken, that Gareth fully came to realize that he was not dreaming and that he had, in fact, just kissed Herry. To his horror he felt his face explode into the most spectacular grin he had ever managed. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. He could only wish that no one would look his way. He was so happy that his heart positively ached with joy and he almost literally felt his feet floating off the ground.

After waiting a while for Neil and Aphrodite to straighten their hair satisfactorily and find their perfect spots the picture was taken. It was a large group shot with all the gods at the back and the eight teens standing at the front. Gareth's enormous smile was easily the most dazzling of them all, even though he was standing right next to Neil in all his perfection.

Theresa trotted over to the camera and removed the instantly developed picture from the shutter. She fanned it through the air a few times before dashing off to find her handbag. Strangely nobody moved from their spots to go to bed. Gareth didn't have to wonder about their strange behaviour for long though; for Theresa promptly returned with the square green box she had removed from beneath the Christmas tree that morning.

"Merry Christmas, Gareth," she said and handed him the package.

"It's from all of us," Hera said from behind him.

His breath caught in his throat when he lifted the lid off the box. In it lay a polished wooden picture frame with the picture they had just taken.

"We figured we'd take a photo with _all_ of the family in it," Jay said.

Gareth began to blink rapidly and swallowed hard at the lump in his throat. He looked down at the picture in his hands and knew that it was the most incredible gift anyone had ever given him.

"Thank you," he said in a barely audible voice and pulled both Jay and Theresa into a tight hug.

The rest of the teens and all of the gods promptly joined in until they had formed the biggest group hug ever.

"Merry Christmas everyone," Gareth said his voice gruff with suppressed emotion.

"Merry Christmas Gareth," they all replied.

* * *

**Thank you for reading the chappie! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**As always, feel free to drop a line and tell me what you think. I'd love to hear your opinions on anything and everything about the chapter! I value your opinions greatly.**

**Everyone gets their mistletoe time. (poor Jay's lips will never be the same again. And we're not even going to mention Neil's crushed ego after having tried to kiss the awesomeness that is dazzeling diamond) This time reviewers get rewarded with a Christmas-group-hug!**

**Have an amazing day/night! :)**


	7. The Importance of Pie

**Hey there my ever-wonderful readers! I've finally managed to upload the seventh chappie of RID! E GAD, I missed updating this story! **

**ANYWAY: thanks to ALL my reviewers for reviewing! Like I said, I appreciate all your input and views on the story and characters. No matter how insignificant they may seem to you, I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Thanks to tinianiatt for being such an amazing Beta-reader. **

**As always: I do not own 'Class of the Titans'  
**

* * *

A tired sigh escaped Odie's lips as he bent, once more, over the bowels of the electronic device in front of him. He had been working for most of the week that followed the Christmas party, yet made little progress. His mission to fix the inter-dimensional adaptor for the portal was beginning to seem rather futile.

He lowered the soldering gun into the machine and worked for a few minutes more. Unfortunately, a plume of thick smoke erupted from the adaptor and brought his work to an abrupt halt.

It was at that moment, between coughs and curses, that Odie reached the point where he'd finally had enough. He was tired, overworked and in dire need of a break. Was it not enough that he had to worry about school starting up again and Neil's mysterious weekly bouts of 'exhaustion'? Why did everyone have to guilt him into working on the portal twenty-four-seven?

Odie lay back on the cold floor and closed his eyes for the merest of seconds. It felt insanely good to finally get some rest. Thus it was, with the hardness of the cold tiles pressing beneath his back, that an idea popped into Odie's head. He opened his eyes and looked sheepishly in the direction of Hermes' portal. It had never looked more inviting than at that very moment.

He stood up and, after making sure that his PMR was in his pocket and the coast clear, moved over to the hidden portal. It opened as easily as ever; filling the room with the vortex's blue sheen. For a moment Odie's rational side delivered a last ditch plea to abandon this madness and get back to work. Exhaustion and sudden recklessness, however, reigned supreme and Odie only hesitated for a second before disappearing in the swirling depths. He could only hope that the others' mentors would keep them busy long enough to keep him from being caught.

* * *

"At the risk of sounding like Persephone, I need you to focus, Gareth," Pan said.

He walked in a circle around Gareth who was clenching his eyes shut tightly. A small black sphere of smoke and mist was floating in mid air in front of him. It had been a little more than a week since the Christmas party and Gareth was back to training to use his powers.

"Concentrate on making the shadows do what you want," Pan instructed. "It's in your power to do it. Just concentrate."

Gareth squinted a little harder and the orb began to spin a little faster. It moved across the room and gathered around one of Persephone's vases. The vase was lifted from its pedestal in a rather wobbly fashion. It promptly capsized and the lid smashed on the ground. Both Gareth and Pan cringed. There would be hell to pay once Persephone noticed the damaged vase.

"Okay, now _gently_ put the vase back down," Pan instructed.

Gareth tensed every muscle in his body and focused hard on lowering the shadows around the vase. To his great relief the vase was safely planted back in place; sans its lid of course. Both of them looked fearfully at the broken lid on the ground.

"Um… maybe we should get out of here…" Gareth suggested.

"Good idea," Pan replied and both promptly scrambled for the exit of the solarium.

They didn't manage to escape in time, however, for Persephone appeared in the doorway just as they were about to make a run for safety.

"Hi Persephone!" both Gareth and Pan exclaimed in hyper innocent voices.

"Hello," she said with a strangely suspicious glint in her eyes. "You're done awfully fast. I was just going to come and check in on Gareth's progress."

"No need to. He's doing great. Really great," Pan said and pushed past the blonde goddess. "Hurry up Gareth. We have to go take care of that… thing."

Persephone's eyes narrowed. "What's going on here? People only talk like that when something's wrong."

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. Look," Pan turned aside and showed her the interior of the solarium, making sure that he blocked the broken piece of pottery in the process. "We really have to go now. Bye."

Pan and Gareth didn't wait a second longer. The two of them moved away from the solarium as quickly as was possible without running. They hadn't gone five feet when Persephone's angry shout screeched the paint off the walls.

"What in the name of Zeus… Pan!"

"Run!" Pan exclaimed and both of them ran to the portal.

They were through the swirling vortex and running away from the titan wing at record speed. They didn't want Persephone to catch up with them; especially not when a broken vase lid was involved. They came to a halt upon reaching the street in front of the school and stood bent over; gasping for breath. Or, at least, Gareth was. Pan, being the god of the forest, simply stood there as if he'd just gotten up from a nice relaxing nap.

"That was too close," Gareth gasped.

"Yeah, it was worth it though. Nice work, Gareth."

"Thanks. I guess I can run very fast when I need to," Gareth replied.

"No, I meant great work with your training," he said and patted Gareth's back. "You're really starting to get the hang of your powers."

Gareth's face lit up instantly. "Really? Does that mean I can finally start my hand-to-hand combat training?"

"Uh…. No," Pan answered. "We still have a few power-lessons to do before you start with the physical stuff. But we'll get there," Pan added upon noticing Gareth's rapidly deflating expression.

"Okay," Gareth said as if accepting an unchangeable fate, "as long as I'll end up being able to kick Daren's butt if he hassles me again."

Pan let out a blast of laughter. "I promise you, you'll be able to defend yourself properly."

Gareth seemed placated by this response and, for a few moments, the two of them stood in amicable silence. Soon, however, Pan's gaze turned to Gareth.

"So… uh… how's Atlanta doing?" he asked.

"She's fine," Gareth said shrewdly.

"Oh. Well, that's cool."

The silence between them had become markedly more uncomfortable. Pan was now staring intensely at the pavement as if trying to ask it the questions he couldn't ask Gareth.

"Look," Gareth said seriously. "Atlanta's doing great; especially because she's with Archie now. She's my friend. So please don't get angry with me when I tell you to _back off_. She is happy as she is now. Don't go messing it up for her."

"I'd never do anything to hurt Atlanta," Pan said indignantly.

"Not directly, you wouldn't. But pining after her all the time isn't making it easier for her."

"Look who's talking," Pan said sharply.

Gareth's posture froze momentarily. There was a slightly hurt look on his face that instantly filled Pan with guilt.

"My situation is different," he said almost inaudibly. "Medelia's just using him. She doesn't lo- care for him like I do."

"Gareth, I'm sorry," Pan said quickly. "You're right. It's just that… I love her so much. You of all people must understand what it's like to love somebody you can never have."

Gareth swallowed loudly at the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. The euphoria that had ruled his existence since the Christmas party had vanished behind the harshness of reality.

"So we're done here?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're done," Pan replied.

* * *

A high pitched squeal of epic proportions echoed across the sands and was quickly followed by the arms of a gorgeous African American woman being wrapped around his neck. He knew that he should have expected this kind of reaction and took it in his stride.

"Oh, Odie-kins, I knew you'd come back to me," she squealed in delight.

"Hi Calypso," said Odie's muffled voice from beneath her breast. "How are things?"

Calypso squeezed him like an octopus and promptly launched into a long tangent about her time on the island. Apparently it involved fishing, coconuts, swimming, coconuts, playing around with her collection of sailors' headgear and- lest she forget to mention it- _coconuts_. She, of course, didn't miss a beat in trying to make him feel guilty about leaving her alone for so long.

"-and you know how lonely I get here on my own," she finished whining. At least for the time being…

"If you're lonely then why don't you come and live among humans?"

"Because I'm immortal, silly," she said in a mock childish voice. "People would start to notice that I never get old."

"Actually, it'd be kinda easy for you to fit in nowadays. You can move around a lot and if people get suspicious you could just tell them that you get lots of Botox injections."

This was apparently the wrong thing to say, for Calypso's sun-kissed skin became an angry shade of red that gave Odie the shivers.

"Are you implying that I need plastic surgery? Am I suddenly not good enough for you?"

"No! I- Uh- just meant that you could use it as a cover to- uh- explain why you're already so pretty."

Calypso's tense expression relaxed immediately and she squeezed herself closer to Odie's side.

"You're such a gentleman; always saying such nice things."

Odie had known where this was heading, yet still found himself surprised when her lips suddenly touched his. It wasn't that he didn't like it. It was great; Calypso was a champion kisser with centuries of practice to back up her boasting-rights. He just wished she'd learn to control herself better.

Their kiss eventually broke and he sat up. He let his eyes drift over the waves in the distance and allowed his thoughts to wander. Secretly he wondered what his friends would say if they knew where he was; knew what he was doing. Would they be able to believe that meek, geeky Odie could possibly have a wilder side? Would they be shocked by this hidden part of himself? Maybe he was better off letting go of this particular dream. After all, he wasn't as heroic as Jay or as good looking as Neil. He knew that he must seem very desperate to keep pinning his hopes on a semi-crazy nymph.

"Hey Odie, get your head out of the clouds!" The sound of Calypso's voice brought him back to earth immediately.

"What?"

"I asked you how you're gonna get back to your friends," Calypso said irritably.

"Oh! That's easy. I upgraded my PMR to operate Hermes' portal from long distances. So I'll be able to get back home easily enough."

Calypso looked at him with an expression that was both confused and puzzled. In the end she just shrugged as if accepting that he was, once again, correct with whatever he had said.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Odie just shrugged and started staring at the waves again. Calypso sighed and got to her feet.

"Come on," she said while holding out her hand. "Let's go for a swim. I'm sure that'll make you feel better."

Odie looked at her outstretched hand. Taking it would mean that he still thought he had a chance with a girl; that he still dreamed…

Odie hesitated for only a moment before taking her hand. He had come to realize that even though he wasn't an incredibly powerful hero or good looking there was one great quality that he possessed besides his genius: he never gave up.

* * *

A few hours had passed and most of the team were back on the roof of the Brownstone. Neil was splayed over one of the deckchairs and did his best to soak up as much sun as was humanly possible, while Atlanta and Archie were locked in a feverish battle to see who could deliver the most consecutive round-house kicks without tiring out. Theresa found herself leaning against the wall while appreciatively watching Jay and Herry mess around with a bunch of hackey sacks.

"Hey guys. Has anyone seen Odie?" Theresa turned to find that it was Gareth who had suddenly spoken.

He was standing in the doorway looking very much like he had just run a marathon. There was a murmur of no's from the group at large, after which everyone returned to their prior activities. Thus, Gareth chose to join Theresa at her perch near the wall.

"You sure you haven't seen him?" Gareth asked. "I really need his help with my trig homework."

"Nope," Theresa replied sullenly.

They spent the next few minutes debating how evil their maths teacher was for giving them homework over the holidays and lamenting the fact that they had put it off until the very last minute.

Theresa couldn't help but notice the rather uncomfortable glances that Herry kept sending in their direction. He had been markedly quite around her and Gareth since the Christmas party. She had a feeling that he suspected her hand in the mistletoe incident. She chose to ignore him every time he gave her a questioning glance and feigned innocence. After all, what was a girl to do when a friend was in need?

It was during another one of Herry's uncomfortable glances that he waited a moment too long to look back at the hackey sack. It ended up flying over his shoulder and directly at Neil who jumped off the deckchair with a terrified squeal. Thus the sack ricocheted off the chair and over the side of the building.

"Aw crud," Herry said dejectedly. "Why didn't you catch it, Neil?"

"Catch it?" Neil asked indignantly. "Are you crazy? That thing could've bruised me! Why do those things always come flying at me?" Both Herry and Jay just groaned and moved away from Neil.

"I'll go get it," Jay said and moved to the door. He was, however, blocked by Herry who quickly dashed for the door.

"Don't worry. I'll get it," Herry yelled over his shoulder.

Jay just shrugged confusedly and moved in Theresa's direction. She smiled wistfully at him and leaned back against the wall.

"Why do I get the feeling that Herry is trying to avoid you?" she said to Gareth. The traces of a pleased smile could be heard in her voice.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because of something _you _did?" Gareth said accusingly and glared at her.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," she said a little too innocently.

"Oh please," Gareth snorted. "You and I both know that that mistletoe didn't just appear above us. You moved it!"

The distance between Jay and them came to a close and Theresa launched herself off the wall to clasp her arms around his neck. He breathed in the scent of her hair and slowly revolved on the spot.

"You can thank me later," she mouthed over Jay's shoulder.

Gareth just grunted in agitation and fell back against the wall. His agitation was mostly due to the fact that he really _did _feel like thanking her.

* * *

Odie had to admit that Calypso had been right. He had barely been in the water for more than five minutes before his morbid thoughts of earlier had been forgotten. He had to wonder, though, how much of that could honestly be due to the cool water. After all, what man can feel downhearted when he was busy kissing a gorgeous nymph on the shores of a tropical island? Calypso broke their kiss and winked mischievously at him.

"You've been working out," she said appreciatively and gazed at his body beneath the rippling water.

Odie blushed and resisted the urge to babble incomprehensively. Besides, it wouldn't help to tell Calypso that he had gained most of his slightly leaner build by running away from crazed giants and zombies. Thus he just allowed himself to drown in the depths of her adoring gaze. She swam closer to him and put her mouth to the side of his face. He quivered involuntarily when she whispered into his ear.

"Come with me. I have something incredible to show you."

He swam to the beach with her, marvelling at the way they contrasted as they got out of the water. She looked every bit like a Bond-girl with tiny droplets of water shimmering like gold as they ran down her moist skin. He on the other hand felt like a soggy cat when he stumbled onto the hot sand.

"This way," she said and jogged to a large outcropping of rock further down the beach. He panted slightly when he finally managed to catch up with her and rubbed at the ache in his side. She smiled excitedly while looking up at the top of the outcropping of rocks. "You are going to love this! The view from up there is amazing!"

"You can't be serious," Odie said apprehensively. "I'm not that good with the whole rock climbing thing."

"Don't be silly. It's easy. I do it all the time," she said sweetly.

Odie gave up and, sighing in exasperation, began to claw his way up the rocks. He climbed for a long time without appearing to make any progress. The way up seemed to stretch on endlessly. It didn't boost his morale, either, to see Calypso climbing further and further ahead with every passing second. She was climbing like a mountain lion on a coffee-high.

So enthralled was Odie by Calypso's climbing prowess that he didn't pay much attention to his own hands and ended up grabbing hold of a loose piece of rock. The rocky beach came rushing toward him with hellish speed and he landed with a heavy thud.

"Argh!" he gasped when a searing pain shot through his leg.

Calypso let out a startled yelp and climbed down from the rocks at break-neck speed. She didn't pause until she reached Odie, at which point she started fussing over him.

"It's not that bad," Odie kept saying. "It's just a tiny scratch. The rock didn't cut me that badly."

"How can you say that?" Calypso exclaimed in near hysterics. "You're bleeding! I'm gonna need to clean out the wound and cover it in bandages." She leaned closer and examined the gash on his leg. Tiny droplets of crimson seeped from the wound and stained the sand. "Oh! You're losing so much blood! You'll need to eat something sugary! I'll give you some of my coconut cream pie when we-"

"Calypso, stop overreacting!" Odie said loudly. "It's just a tiny cut. I don't need any bandages and I _definitely_ don't need to eat anything sugary. I haven't lost that much blo-"

Odie's eyes seemed to bug out and he stared into dead space for the longest of times. His lips moved slowly and he seemed to be reciting the contents of a medical journal. A light bulb had seemingly flashed to life inside his quick witted mind and Odie quickly put two and two together.

"Oh no! I'm so stupid," he berated himself while slamming the palm of his hand to his forehead. "Why didn't I see it sooner?"

"What? Odie, what's wrong?" Calypso asked. "Are you dizzy? Do you need to lie down?"

"I'm fine! It's just that I've realized what's going on. I know what's wrong with Neil!"

"The blonde boy? Something's wrong with him?" she inquired confusedly.

"Yes! I have to go, though. This is really important," Odie said excitedly.

Odie scrambled to his feet and started running across the hot sand. He grabbed his shirt from the ground and haphazardly pulled it over his head.

"But you've barely been here for a proper visit," Calypso whined. "I never get to see you and now you're leaving!"

"I'm sorry Calypso, but this is important. I have to get going. I swear I'll come visit you again soon," he rambled while picking up his PMR.

"Promise?" Calypso demanded. She pushed her lower lip out angrily.

"Promise," Odie said earnestly and flipped open the PMR.

His face froze when he looked down on the blank screen. He pressed a few buttons without getting any response from the hardware.

"No! This can't be happening," he moaned. "Not now. Not tonight."

"What's wrong now?" Calypso asked worriedly.

"The battery's dead. And it's gonna take hours for my portable solar panels to recharge it."

"Well that's not such a bad thing," Calypso said with a barely suppressed smile. "You can just stay with me a bit longer."

"You don't understand!" Odie yelled. "I have to get back to New Olympia _now_. Tomorrow, a week will have passed since the last time Neil was sick. Which means that it's gonna happen tonight. I need to warn my friends before it's too late. Neil might die tonight!"

* * *

**Thank you for reading the chappie goys and girls! I really hope you enjoyed it. **

**You wanna know a HUGE secret? I VALUE YOUR OPINIONS! :0 *cue gong of incredible revelations* LOL! I'd be ever thankful of you all reviewed! Anonymous reviews are allowed, so even if you don't have an account feel free to drop a line. HEE! :)**

**I hope you all still have the fuzzies from that HUGE reviewer-Christmas-group-hug! This time reviewers will be rewarded with a beach party hosted by the teens and gods! (just imagine how much fun Zeus'll be!)**

**Have a great day/night! :)**


	8. Hidden

**Howdy there! Welcome to the eighth chappie of RID!**

**As always, I'd like to thank all my wonderful reviewers. You guys and girls are truly spectacular!**

**A word of thanks also goes to dear tinianiatt who ever faithfully Beta's for me. Thanks for the amazing help!**

***sigh* I still don't own 'Class of the Titans.'**

**This chapter is dedicated to Wings of Corrugated Irony A.K.A rubyinnle.  
**

* * *

It was nearing three in the morning and the silent creak of floorboards haunted the air of the Brownstone. Outside a gentle breezed stirred the night. The rhythmic breathing of a group of teenagers drifted ever so quietly into the night air while shadows danced down the hall to an open window.

A loud bang blasted the silence to pieces and a tiny figure leapt through the, now open, front door. His red jacket made him stand out against the dark silhouettes of the furniture.

Immediately a tall figure with short, purplish hair stormed out from the kitchen.

"Who's there?" the stern voice of a woman demanded.

She had a makhaira in her hands and looked as if she was preparing to attack the intruder.

"Whoa, Athena! It's me, Odie," the small African American boy shouted.

"What's going on here?" a young, authoritarian male voice asked from the top of the stairs.

Jay edged down the stairs with his xiphos drawn.

"That's what I'd like to know," Athena said angrily. "What in Zeus' name are you doing out of your bed, Odie? It's nearly three in the morning!"

"I'm sorry," Odie said a tinge of nervousness in his voice. "I was busy… working on the portal and lost track of time."

"And you just happened to completely forget about dinner and the fact that it had become dark?" Athena asked sarcastically.

Odie seemed to be at a loss for words. For a few moments he spluttered helplessly, before remembering the reason for his hasty entry.

"That's beside the point," he said quickly. "We need to get to Neil right away. I've figured out what's going on with him."

Athena had opened her mouth to scold him even before he had finished speaking, but froze mid-first-syllable when his words sunk in.

"Are you serious? You know why he gets sick every week?" Jay asked from behind Athena.

Odie looked up at Jay and saw that most of the other inhabitants of the Brownstone had congregated on the landing above. They all stood around in assorted states of undress and rubbed their bleary eyes tiredly.

Odie only had to nod the affirmative once before Athena took hold of his arm and ushered him up the stairs. Her angered demeanour had been replaced with that of excitement. She was evidently quite eager to get the mystery of Neil's illness out of the way.

The door to Neil's room was closed as tightly as they had expected. It wasn't a surprise that he was the only one to not have been awakened by Odie and Athena's prior conversation.

Athena knocked on the door, but received no reply. Gently she turned the doorknob and pushed against the hard wood.

A rush of cold air blew out of the room, as if fleeing from what lay inside. The group stepped across the threshold and immediately registered the fact that Neil's room was a few degrees colder than the rest of the house. It was also deathly quiet; not even the rhythmic tick of an alarm clock relieved the silence.

"Neil?" Jay asked. "Neil, are you awake?"

An exhausted moan came from where they all knew Neil's bed stood. Jay flicked the light switch and lifted the darkness from the room. They weren't met with a pleasant sight. Neil lay limply amid a pile of tangled sheets, looking exceptionally ashen against the pure white. His eyes drooped tiredly and he breathed heavily, as if struggling to get enough oxygen into his lungs.

"Oh no, Neil!" Theresa exclaimed. "He's worse than ever."

"Just as I expected," Odie said. "The pattern hasn't been broken."

"Okay, Odie. Now will you please tell us what the heck's going on here!" Archie snapped agitatedly. He didn't seem at all pleased to be awake at such an early hour.

"Sure," Odie said and stepped up to Neil's bed. "First of all, I think it's safe to say that this is not a case of 'extreme exhaustion'." Odie gave Athena a pointed look which she returned uncomfortably. He started to pace back and forth in front of Neil's bed; seemingly channelling the spirit of Sherlock Holmes during one of his famous mystery-dissections. "The weekly pattern of illness immediately rules out natural causes."

"Okay. Then what is it?" Archie asked impatiently.

"I'm getting there," Odie said and pointed to Neil's forehead. "Notice the pale skin and sweaty complexion, as well as the drooping eyelids and tired expression."

"Hey!" Neil said tiredly. "I'm awake you know. I can hear you."

Odie barely halted to show that he had heard Neil, before ploughing on with his dictation.

"It all clearly _looks_ like exhaustion, but it isn't. What we see here is clearly the result of extreme and sudden blood loss." Odie stood back for a moment to let the meaning of his words sink in. He struck a pose that was meant to be impressive, but came off rather awkward due to his thin posture.

"Blood loss?" Jay asked uncertainly. "Odie, there isn't a drop of blood anywhere in Neil's room. How can it be severe blood loss?"

"Come on guys," Odie said exasperatedly. "Isn't it rather suspicious that around the same time that Sybaris comes to New Olympia, Neil starts getting sick on a weekly basis? Can't you figure out why his symptoms resemble that of severe blood loss?"

Theresa gave a horrified gasp and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Are you saying that a vampire is-"

"Feeding off Neil, yes," Odie finished. "Look, I'll show you the marks."

The entire group immediately surged toward Neil's bed. The blonde recoiled from them and pulled his sheets up to his chin.

"Back off," he said defensively. "I haven't been bitten by anything."

"Then you won't mind showing us your neck," Odie said simply.

The blonde shot Odie a venomous glare, before slowly lowering his sheets. He loosened the top button of his pyjama top and exposed the pale flesh of his neck.

"See, I haven't been bitten," he said agitatedly while stretching his neck for them all to see.

"This can't be," Odie said in a hollow voice. He surged forth and raked Neil's neck with his eyes; desperately trying to find any sign that would point to vampirism. "It all fits perfectly. It has to be a vampire."

"Odie… let it go," Jay said, his voice filled with understanding. "It's been a long day. You just need some rest. I'm, pretty sure this'll all seem very funny in the morning."

Jay took hold of Odie's arm and gently prodded him in the direction of the hallway. The be-afroed genius just walked in a daze. He seemed to be lost in thought, clearly trying to solve this puzzle.

"Wait!" he suddenly exclaimed. He froze to a standstill in Neil's doorway. "There's one other possibility…"

"What now?" Neil wailed from his bed. "It's three in the morning guys! I need my beauty sleep!"

"Odie," Jay began. "Just let it g-"

"No, wait! You have to trust me on this, Jay. Please."

Jay sighed, gave quick glance in Athena's direction and beckoned Odie back into the room.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think I understand why Neil has no bite marks on his neck," Odie said and hastily approached the model's bed. "Neil, drop your pants," he commanded.

Every eye in the room widened. The silence that suddenly smashed against their ear drums was incredibly awkward.

"What?" Neil squealed from his bed. He had pulled his sheets back up to his chin. "No way!"

"Um… Odie… Is there something you want to tell us?" Archie asked from the open doorway. A mischievous grin had overtaken his face.

Odie sighed exasperatedly. "It's nothing like _that_," he said quickly. "Would you guys just trust me on this?"

"Okay," Jay said uncertainly and turned to Neil "You heard the man, Neil. Drop your- Uh… just do what he said."

"No way!" Neil exclaimed again edging away from them. "You've all gone nuts!"

"Neil-"

"There are girls in the room!" the blonde hissed angrily. "I'm not doing it!"

Jay groaned in exasperation. He nodded at Theresa and Atlanta who left the room, all the while grumbling in irritation.

"Okay Neil, they're gone," Jay said.

Neil looked pointedly at Athena and Gareth.

"Oh for heavens' sake!" Athena bellowed and stormed after Theresa and Atlanta.

Gareth on the other hand just sighed and turned his back on Neil.

"It's just us guys now, Neil. So please, just do what Odie wants so we can all go to bed."

"No!" Neil said stubbornly. "This is stupid."

Jay turned to Herry and nodded solemnly. The brawn stepped forward and quickly incapacitated Neil by pinning his arms behind his back.

"This is for your own good, buddy," he said as kindly as possible.

Hesitantly, Odie stepped forward and pulled at the waistband of Neil's green, silk pyjamas. He had a pronounced frown on his brow and looked like he hadn't just left his comfort zone, but lost it forever.

"Oh! Thank goodness," Odie sighed.

Neil, mercifully, had some underwear on. He expected much less from the blonde…

"See! There's no bite," the blonde exclaimed. He looked quite out of his mind with fear. "Now, can you stop invading my privacy?"

"I wasn't talking about any bite marks," Odie said impatiently. "I haven't looked yet."

He scanned Neil's thigh. For a moment his eyes froze on a certain spot.

"Jay… we have a problem," he said in a hollow voice.

Immediately all of the inhabitants of the room, including Gareth, surged forward to see what Odie was looking at.

"What is it?"

"We have a vampire on our hands," Odie answered while pointing at the fresh pair of bite marks on Neil's inner thigh.

* * *

The sound of their feet slapping on the cold tiles of the school building sounded hauntingly strange. The teens walked in a closely huddled group as if trying to preserve a little body heat between them. They had, after all, only been given enough time to pull a jacket or robe over their pyjamas, before being whisked off to the school.

Jay was, as always, in the lead with Odie and Theresa beside him and Herry directly behind them. He was the one who ended up carrying Neil, who was too drained to walk on his own to the Titan wing.

Atlanta, Archie and Gareth were at the back of the group, having a muffled conversation.

"What's with you and weird PJ's, Gareth?" Atlanta asked.

She chuckled at the sight of his Mickey Mouse boxers.

"What?" he asked confusedly. "I think they're funny."

"They sure are," Archie said and both he and Atlanta tried, and failed, to stifle their laughter.

"Hey Odie," Theresa suddenly called out. "I was wondering… why didn't the vampire bite him on his neck?"

Odie turned to Theresa, his eyes flashing excitedly at the prospect of answering a question.

"It's most likely, because the vampire didn't want its marks to be seen. Secrecy, I guess…"

"Maybe it's because it's easier to get a good amount of blood down there," Gareth suggested from the back of the group. "I've heard that there are some major arteries in the upper legs."

The entire procession froze as one, causing Gareth to walk straight into Herry. He was saved from falling over by the brown haired teen, who quickly grabbed hold of his arm. Herry's hand lingered on Gareth's arm for the smallest of moments to keep him steady, before being ripped away as if burnt by fire. There was no time for awkward silence, however, because Archie's voice immediately shattered the quiet.

"Where the heck did you hear that?" he asked.

"I read it somewhere," Gareth said innocently.

"What kind of books do you read?" Archie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Gareth was only able to mumble an incoherent sentence about being inquisitive before they reached the janitor's closet. In what seemed like no time at all the dial on Jay's pendant key whizzed in an anti-clockwise direction, causing the door to slam open. The light switch was pulled, summoning the portal, and the eight teens stepped into the secret sanctuary of the immortals. Athena, who had run ahead to alert the other gods, was immediately there to greet them. She wasted no time in leading them to Hera's aviary, where they would try to find a solution to their current dilemma.

Athena had barely pushed open the gilded doors, allowing the teens to file into the brightly lit room, when a high pitched scream crashed over them. Aphrodite, looking as ravishing as ever, came running at them. One of her nymphs was desperately trying to run after her while combing her hair at the same time.

"Oh, Neil, darling! What have they done to you? Look at those bags under your eyes," she moaned in her heavy New York accent. "Don't worry. I've got a cream with cucumber extract that will fix that up super fast!"

Neil grumbled something unintelligible from behind Herry's back as a reply. This only caused Aphrodite to descend into further hysterics.

"He's dying! I demand that something be done to save him," she squealed.

"Calm yourself, Aphrodite," Hera said sternly from the centre of the room. "He is most certainly _not_ dying."

Hera looked at Athena to confirm that she was right; the short-haired goddess nodded the affirmative.

"Good, then let's begin. You can bring her in now, Ares," Hera said in a commanding voice.

Immediately a door on the opposite side of the room opened and the god of war entered; his right hand firmly gripping Sybaris' arm. She looked every bit as smug as the last time the teens had seen her and even smiled mockingly at the gods as she passed. Ares led her to the centre of the room, where she was made to face Hera.

"One of the children has been attacked by a vampire, Sybaris," Hera said, cutting to the chase. "I know you know more than you told us before, so I'm giving you a chance to make things easier on yourself. Tell me which of your vampires attacked the boy and I will make your living conditions a little more… comfortable."

Sybaris did naught but stare back at Hera. The corners of her mouth seemed to quiver as she clearly struggled to keep from smiling.

"None of my children has attacked any of your children," she said and resumed her stony silence.

"Liar!" Hera exclaimed and struck Sybaris' cheek with the back of her hand. "Tell me which one of your creatures attacked the boy, _now_."

Hera's last word was nothing more than a low growl, but the threat of pain could not be missed in her voice.

"I have already answered this question," Sybaris said sweetly while openly mocking Hera with her smile.

There was only a second to notice the flame of anger in Hera's eyes before an actual blast of fire erupted at her feet. She spread her arms out like wings and was promptly engulfed in flames. Both the heroes and gods fell back in shock as a large phoenix burst from the fire. It slashed its flaming wing at Sybaris, who flew across the room like a rag doll and crashed against the wall with a painful crunch. The phoenix reared its head and prepared to attack Sybaris once more.

"That's enough, Hera," a male voice thundered from the other side of the room. Zeus stepped from the ranks of the other gods and planted himself firmly in the way of the fiery phoenix. "I said that's enough," he repeated when she showed no sign of compliance. "Now, take a seat with the others. You are clearly not in control of your emotions."

Zeus had spoken in a firm but calm manner, yet there could be no denying the strict command in his British tones. A beat of time passed; then, as if recognizing defeat, the flames dissipated and were once again replaced by the silver haired goddess.

"Fine, you take over," Hera said angrily. "But this interrogation won't stop until we have some answers. I won't tolerate the children being in danger any longer."

A roar of laughter erupted from behind Zeus. He and Hera both turned to see Sybaris writhing on the floor, an ecstatic expression of joy on her face.

"You pathetic fools," she said when her laughter had finally died away. "You have no idea of how much danger you are in."

"What do you mean, Sybaris?" Zeus asked.

"You are focusing on the wrong enemy," she replied, her gleeful smile still in place. "I am the least of your worries. There is something rising in your midst that is much more dangerous than you can possibly imagine. I've seen it. It's coming for you and you can do _nothing_ to stop it."

"Stop playing games!" Zeus commanded. "What is coming for us?"

"You already know," Sybaris hissed.

She slumped back against the wall, closed her eyes and refused to say another word. Zeus turned back to Hera, who had the same worried expression on her face that he did. It was quite clear that both of them were thinking of the same enemy.

* * *

In a surprising turn of events Neil had regained consciousness before the meeting of the gods had even finished properly; which was much sooner than usual. He did, however, still look terrible and only stared vacantly ahead of him. Thus Herry and Jay were forced to steer him in the right direction as they left Hera's aviary.

"Don't worry, Neil. It's over now," Jay said kindly. "We'll catch the vampire before it gets a chance to attack you again."

Neil didn't give any sign that he had heard Jay and kept up his vacant stare. The only sign of conscious thought he showed was when he paused in the doorway, as if unwilling to leave the room. It only took a gentle push from Jay to get him moving again.

"I can't believe this all happened right under our noses," Gareth said suddenly, his voice ringing with guilt and anger.

"I know," Theresa said. "It feels like we should have known right from the start."

She looked to the side and saw that her guilt was reflected in the eyes of her friends. They all seemed to feel the same way; that if, maybe, they had paid more attention to Neil they would have figured it out sooner.

"It's nobody's fault," Jay said soothingly while he placed a hand on Theresa's shoulder. "None of us could have expected something like this; especially not after the only vampire we know of had been captured. The important thing to remember is that we now know what we are facing. Now we only need to find a way to capture the vampire."

"Yeah," Atlanta said. "We'll have no problem taking the bloodsucking creep out and putting an end to this."

Herry, Gareth, Odie and Jay all nodded in agreement, their faces set with determination to make the person who hurt their friend pay. Theresa, on the other hand, just sighed tiredly and leaned in closer to Jay. Their close proximity felt comforting and momentarily made her forget about the prospect of a sleepless night. For there was no avoiding the fact that none of them would be able to get a moment of sleep after what they had just discovered.

"Are you okay Neil?" Theresa heard Jay ask.

She looked back to see that Jay was now, quite literally, pushing Neil toward the portal that left the Titan wing. Indeed, the blond hero seemed so unwilling to leave the sanctuary of the gods that he had dug his heels into the floor and was attempting to turn around.

"Neil, turn around. The exit is the other way," Jay said without any effect.

A strangled scream flew from Neil's lips and in one swift move he managed to turn around and slam his shoulder into Jay. The leader fell to the floor with a loud thud as Neil's feet flew in the direction of Hera's aviary.

Jay was on his feet in less than a second and stormed after him; the rest of the team not far behind. They entered the aviary to find a startling scene playing out before them. Neil was on his knees and clawed angrily at the tiled floor at the centre of the room, while the gods looked on in shock. There was a mad glint in his eyes and his mouth was askew in a silent scream.

"Calm yourself, Neil. You're safe now," the teens heard Hera say.

The aged goddess walked over to the blond hero and tried to pull his hands away from the floor. He, however, ripped them away with an animalistic growl and redoubled his efforts to claw the floor apart.

"What is wrong with him?" Hera asked angrily as she continued to try and restrain Neil.

Nobody was able to give Hera an answer, though. They wouldn't have had time to do so anyway, for the sound of hooves clapping on tiles suddenly filled the air and Chiron burst into the room. In his hand he held a large syringe which was filled with a clear liquid substance.

"Please step aside, my lady," he said to Hera who quickly obliged.

Chiron kneeled down and firmly grabbed hold of the delirious teen. He quickly poked the needle into Neil's neck and administered the fluid. The blond tried desperately to keep clawing at the floor, but soon found his senses overwhelmed. He slumped forward and lay motionless on the floor.

"What in the name of Zeus is going on here Chiron?" Hera asked.

The silver haired centaur picked up the unconscious teen and looked gravely at Hera.

"I've only ever heard of this, but I believe he is under the control of the vampire that fed off him," Chiron said in his slow, scholarly voice.

"But how is that possible?" Hera asked.

"The drinking of another being's blood forms, as is expected, an extremely powerful bond," Chiron began as if reading a passage from a medical journal. "It enables the creature to control its victims; to make the victim perform minor tasks."

A tiny gasp whispered from Theresa's lips. The horror on her face was reflected in those of the room at large.

"Does this mean that Neil might be… _dangerous_?" she asked.

"Unfortunately yes," Chiron said gravely. "Those under the control of a vampire can be incredibly dangerous; especially since they are so good at keeping their situation hidden. However, I don't think you have anything to fear. Persephone, Dionysus and I are more than capable of brewing up a potion to free him from its control."

With that Chiron galloped from the room with Neil in his arms. Persephone and a slightly unstable Dionysus hurried after him.

Nobody knew how to fill the heavy silence that seemed to crush them once they had left. Everything had changed so incredibly fast. It was quite clear that everybody, even Archie, was worried about Neil's safety.

"I think you children need to get some sleep," Hera said in an unusually tired voice. "Perhaps it would be best if you all slept in the gymnasium until we are certain the Brownstone is safe again."

The teens merely nodded their ascent. They were too tired and shocked to ask any more questions and obediently trundled out of the room toward the gym. Archie moved closer to Atlanta as they passed through the large doorway.

"You still think it's gonna be that easy to put an end to all this?" he asked her in a low voice.

* * *

Thanks for reading the the chappie folks! You'll notice this one was a bit longer than usual, so I'll appresiate any and all input you can give. PLEASE do take a few spare minutes to type up a tiny little review for little old me. I'd be ever thankful!

**Hope you reviewers enjoyed that beach party! Wasn't Dionysus hilarious after his fifth drink with 'interesting' added ingredients? ;) Reviewers will this time be rewarded with a smoochie from the character of their choosing. And yes, this includes Gareth, Lilith and Cronus. :)**

**Have an amazing day/night!**


	9. Hip Hopping Hippies

**Yo dawgs! S'up? (Oh my word! The Hip-Hop gods are cringing. Eh, dd?) Welcome to the ninth chapta' of RID! Sorry for the incredibly long wait!**

**Thank you to all my reviewers! You guys are so incredibly wonderful for making my days awesome with your thoughts and opinions!  
**

**Thanks for the brilliant help tinianiatt! Your Beta-ing skills are as invaluable as ever!**

**Nope, don't own 'Class of the Titans.' Probably never will. *sigh***

* * *

"No! There is absolutely no way I will allow this," Hera said angrily.

Her grey eyes bored into Jay's brown ones in a clear attempt to faze him. Jay, however, was just as determined to get his way and met her gaze full on.

"I know it sounds risky, Ms Hera, but we need-"

"Risky?" she said in disbelief. "It's absolutely insane. Look, Jay, normally I would trust your judgement on these things implicitly, but I simply can't allow you to do this."

"But Ms Hera, this might be our only chance to end this," Jay said. "We can't live with the threat of a vampire over our heads. Please, allow us to do this."

Hera sighed and relaxed her posture slightly. Her body showed no sign of fatigue, but Jay could see from the look in her eyes how much Neil's episode had affected her.

"It's just too dangerous, Jay," she reiterated in a calmer voice. "Can't you see? Neil's in a fragile enough state as it is. Putting him in this kind of danger might send him over the edge."

Jay bowed his head gravely. He was forced to agree with Hera on this particular subject. To say that Neil was fragile was no understatement. The blonde titan had become quite jumpy since the revelations of two days prior. It was not uncommon to see him staring vacantly ahead with a depressed expression on his face. When asked what he was staring at, he would immediately plaster on a strained smile and say that he was just a little tired. He didn't fool Theresa, though, and she wasted no time in pointing out to Jay that Neil separated himself from the others even more than usual. Jay knew that Neil would not be his old self again before the vampire situation was brought under control. Thus he vowed to do whatever it took to help his friend.

"He'll go over the edge anyway if we don't do something soon," Jay stated. "Please, Ms Hera. Please let us do this."

Hera leaned forward and measured Jay with her eyes. Jay did his best not to blink, for he knew that a calm demeanour would count in his favour. Unfortunately his right eye chose that very moment to become itchy and moved into an awkward twitch. Hera smiled at seeing his twitching brow.

"All right," she said. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

* * *

"I don't know about this Jay," Theresa said, clutching her arms across her breast. "This doesn't feel right."

Jay looked over at Theresa with the most placating smile he could manage. He had known that, next to Neil, she'd be the hardest to convince.

"It's our only choice," he said as he unlocked the front door of the Brownstone and held it open for her. "We only have to live in fear for one week. Then we'll capture the vampire and this will all be over."

Theresa's eyebrows arched skeptically. She didn't really believe that it would all be over so easily. She waited in the doorway for one tentative moment, took a deep breath and entered their violated home.

It was as if Theresa could feel the essence of the vampire seeping from the walls. Its presence was in every shadow, around every corner and behind every doorway. She knew that it was all in her head, but ever since learning that a vampire had entered their home on a weekly basis without them noticing it, she had felt a change in the Brownstone.

"I'd say it's good to be back home, but…"

"Yeah," Atlanta agreed.

Theresa felt relieved it was good to know that she wasn't the only one who'd noticed the different atmosphere. She looked back at Jay and saw that he was looking from one teammate to the next. It wasn't hard for Theresa to see the over-compensation machine in Jay's head going into overdrive.

"What do you guys say we watch a movie tonight, huh?" he asked and clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "We can properly celebrate being back."

"As long as we get some popcorn and pizza," Herry said with a hungry look in his eyes.

Everyone chuckled. Hearing Herry talk about food had, for a moment, felt a lot like the old days, before the entire vampire-saga. It had slightly lifted the dark pall over the Brownstone. If only a little bit.

Everyone pooled their money for the food while Odie used the, still faulty, interdimensional-adaptor to retrieve another movie from Gareth's collection. It was during all this planning that Theresa felt a gentle tug on her arm. She turned to see that Jay was standing behind her, a worried look in his eyes. He motioned for her to follow him and led the way out of the room.

"What's up?" Theresa asked the moment they were alone.

"I'm worried about Neil," Jay said in a hushed voice. "He's still not really himself."

Both Theresa and Jay looked at the group who was standing in the other room. Everyone was trying to decide which kind of pizza they would get. Everyone, but Neil that is, he was standing slightly to the side with a strained looking smile on his face.

"He's been like that ever since we found out," Jay whispered. "I was wondering if you could… maybe-"

"Talk to him?" Theresa asked.

Jay's face lit up with a grateful smile. "Would you? I really think it would be great if you could find a way to cheer him up."

"No problem," Theresa said. "I was considering talking to him anyway."

Jay sighed as if a weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. He stepped forward and gently wrapped his arms around Theresa.

"Thank you," he said while still pressing the warmth of their bodies together.

Theresa sighed and let her body melt in his arms. It was amazing how Jay could manage to light up even the darkest of situations.

* * *

The bright light of the television had, for the time being, driven the shadows from the Brownstone. The eight teens were splayed across the room watching as a multitude of Dalmatians dotted up the screen.

Theresa looked over to see that Herry had finally dropped the empty pizza box on the table. She wasted no time in taking her chance.

"I'm going to go make some hot chocolate. Who else wants some?"

Immediately seven pairs of hands shot up. Theresa smiled and turned to the kitchen.

"Um… Neil. Could you come help me?" she asked over her shoulder.

Neil shrugged boredly and staggered from the couch. Theresa could see a pleased smile on Jay's face from the corner of her eye and knew that he'd caught on to what she was doing.

Theresa and Neil entered the brightly lit kitchen. Neil leaned back against the counter while Theresa began taking mugs from the cupboard.

"So… Neil. How're you doing?" Theresa asked tentatively.

Neil shrugged again. "I'm okay."

"Any new modelling contracts?"

Neil just shook his head.

Theresa lost her patience and placed the last mug on the counter with a loud bang.

"Look, Neil. You and I both know that you're not okay. So please, just tell me what's wrong so I can help you."

Neil spluttered for a moment under Theresa's gaze, but every lie he seemed to want to tell died even before it left his lips. In the end he broke down in a horrified sob and covered his face.

"I'm hideous," he exclaimed. "That monstrosity ruined my amazing good looks!"

"What?" Theresa asked confusedly. She scanned the model's appearance but could find no flaw in his perfect visage. "Neil, what are you talking about? You look just like you always did."

"Don't lie to me. I've been ruined! Look," he said and promptly opened his mouth to reveal his incredible pearly whites, "my canine teeth are longer."

Theresa leaned in closer to examine his teeth. The urge to groan in exasperation was incredibly strong, for Neil's canines were barely a millimetre longer. She'd never have noticed it if he hadn't told her.

"Neil, you can barely see it. The girls at school definitely haven't. They're still running after you like they always do," Theresa said, hoping that boosting Neil's ego might help.

"You're just saying that," Neil said.

Theresa, however, could already see an improvement in his behavior, for she distinctly saw him sneak a peek at himself in the reflective surface of a spoon that lay on the counter.

"Trust me; you have nothing to worry about where looks are concerned. Is there anything else bothering you?"

Neil eyed the kitchen door to make sure that no one could hear them. Then he took a tentative step toward Theresa and whispered.

"I'm afraid that they won't be able to stop the- v- v-" Neil seemed to be having great difficulty saying the last word.

"Vampire?" Theresa completed for him.

He nodded vigorously his eyes as wide as saucers. Theresa knew that his difficulty in speaking about the vampire was not solely due to trauma, but also because the monster in question had cast a powerful thrall over him that prohibited him from revealing anything about what was going on. Chiron had told them all about it.

"I mean, the world can't be robbed of my incredible beauty. It would be a tragedy!"

Theresa sighed. At least Neil was back to being narcissistic. Now all they needed to do was assuage his fears.

"Don't worry Neil. Jay says he has a great plan figured out and I trust him. He never does anything that would put the team in danger. We only have to wait till the end of the week to capture the vampire then all this will be over," Theresa assured him. She gave Neil a wry look before delivering her final, well planned, lines. "Besides, how can the plan succeed if you don't trust Jay? We'd be lost without you."

Theresa fervently hoped that Neil wouldn't notice that her voice had been a little over-dramatic when delivering the final line. To her great joy she saw that his face was much happier than before. He gave her the first half-smile he had made in days; his teeth shining like spotlights in the glare of the bright kitchen. His eyes still had their strange haunted quality, but at least he seemed like he was alive again.

"That's it. Keep dazzling us with that smile," Theresa said kindly. She placed the mugs of steaming chocolate on a tray and handed it to Neil. "Let's go watch the rest of the movie."

* * *

It was the third day of what had, so far, been a very long week and the school bell had just released the teens from their final class of the day. Unfortunately, they weren't allowed to rush off and do what they wanted like most teens. Instead, they all went to their respective mentors for their daily dose of extreme exertion.

Gareth broke off from the rest of the group and headed to a classroom that Pan had specified the day before. He was not sure why Pan had decided on the sudden change in scenery, but chose not to ask too many questions. Things had been a little strained between them since their spat over unrequited love and neither seemed to know how to get things back to the way they were before.

Gareth had just reached the ground floor of the school building when a face he never thought he'd see shocked him to a standstill. A bald man with circular shades and a serious demeanour was walking in his direction. He had dark patches under his eyes and strangely resembled a shaved cat. Gareth could do nothing but gape when the Oracle reached him.

"Hello there," he said in a voice that hid deeper meaning. "I was wondering when I'd finally get the chance to meet you."

"Y- You're the Oracle," Gareth stated the obvious. "Wow."

The Oracle adjusted his shades and gave Gareth a once-over. His right eyebrow arched dramatically while a knowingly rueful smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

"Indeed…" the Oracle said. A few moments of silence elapsed in which his intense gaze seemed to burn every inch of Gareth into his already omnipotent memory. "Not so easy having the secrets of your destiny locked away in your mind, is it?"

"Excuse me?" Gareth spluttered. "What do you mean?"

"Come on boy, you know exactly what I mean! You wrote the life you and your friends are currently living. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, but… wait, didn't that all end when I stopped Archie from dying at the plaza? Didn't I alter the entire story that night? Isn't the whole 'written destiny' thing supposed to be over now?"

The Oracle turned his head slightly to the left, as if trying to take in Gareth's features from a different angle.

"That story will end only when the final storyline comes to a close. You know which one I'm talking about…"

For the first time ever Gareth was able to appreciate just how annoying it was when people talked in riddles. He had a dreadful feeling; however, that he knew exactly which 'storyline' the Oracle was referring to. The vivid image of a spinning chair flashed briefly in his mind…

"You're right. That was what I was referring to," the Oracle said before Gareth could even enunciate his thoughts.

He took off his glasses and moved closer to Gareth; close enough for Gareth to realize he was holding his breath. His glowing eyes burned into Gareth's; making him feel naked under his all-seeing gaze. His eyes seemed to widen suddenly and there was a slight intake of breath.

"The flames will burn out when the crossed blades shines at their cruellest," he said in his aged voice.

"What do you mean?" Gareth asked.

"I'm beginning to speak poetically," the Oracle said to himself. "Looks like I'm finally going senile…"

"Wha-" Gareth began, but the Oracle cut him off quickly.

"I must go now. I have to talk to Hera."

And without further ado the Oracle spun on his heel and hurried in the direction of the janitor's closet. No doubt, he had some future event of great magnitude to discuss with the aged goddess. Gareth suspected that the Oracle wouldn't leave his newsstand for just any trivial reason.

The future, however, would have to wait. For Gareth was finally able to get his thoughts back to the present long enough to realise that he was late for his training session with Pan. He dashed through the school, passing Atlanta and Artemis along the way, and crashed into the classroom with a stitch in his side and a gasp of breath.

"Hey- sorry- I'm late," he said between gasps for air.

"No problem," Pan said. "You're not the only one."

Gareth chose to leave Pan's last comment a mystery and addressed the topic that had puzzled him for quite a while longer.

"Why are we training in here? Do you have something special planned?"

"Yeah, actually I do," Pan said casually. "I figured it was time we started to teach you the stuff you need to fight."

"But I thought you said I wasn't ready," Gareth said, his voice laced with suspicion.

"Well… I figured that maybe you were right and we should give it a shot."

Gareth didn't take long to notice that Pan wasn't exactly looking him in the eye. He realised that it was Pan's guilt talking, that he was trying to make up for the fight they had had over Herry and Atlanta. Gareth, deciding not to look a gift-horse in the mouth, chose not to pursue the subject any further.

"Great, they're here," Pan said and moved to open the classroom door.

He stepped back to allow two girls into the room. They were as obviously best friends although they were opposites. One was a dark haired Indian girl with exotic eyes and a Hip-Hop ensemble that looked like it had materialised out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Gareth had the feeling that Neil would take an instant liking to her.

The other girl's hair was ablaze with fiery red and her mouth was curled into a mischievous grin that spoke of a saucy personality. Her clothes expressed the kind of insane quirkiness that could be endlessly interesting.

"Gareth, this is Rosalie and the Sunehri," Pan said while pointing to the red-head and her friend respectively.

A moment of realization struck as Gareth remembered that he had seen them before. A very awkward memory of his attempt to be a DJ at the school dance played out in his mind.

"I know you! You're that girl who said I was 'tragically wanna-be gangsta' at the school dance," Gareth said indignantly.

"Oh honey! No offence, but you were," Sunehri said in a rather melodious voice. "That's why Phil asked us over to teach you some moves."

"Oh really, _Phil_," Gareth said with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. "And how will knowing some moves help me out?"

Pan shifted nervously from one foot to the other and gave the girls a shifty look. His mind was obviously working over-time to phrase his next few words correctly.

"Well- uh- I just thought that- uh- learning to dance might help you with your… after school projects. To figh- I mean, move better when you need to. I think you're ready to handle it."

Gareth got the clumsily coded message loud and clear and gave Pan the first spontaneous smile he had mustered in a while. The god of the forest smiled slightly and gave his protégé a hopeful peace sign. Gareth nodded solemnly; causing Pan to sigh in relief. Their friendship was restored.

"Okay! That must mean we can get popping and locking," Rosalie said enthusiastically, pulling them from their private communication.

She produced a CD from her pocket and proceeded to place it in the boom box in the corner. Immediately a vibrantly energetic song thudded against the walls. Rosalie turned the sound up as Sunehri stepped forward and began to strut her stuff. Her body popped and locked to the beat of the music. Like a puppet on strings she let the music's rhythm move her body for her.

It was probably the most impressive piece of dancing Gareth had ever seen, and he felt a sudden surge of nervousness. She couldn't possibly expect him to dance like that! He had two left feet _and _hands. He gave 'hopeless' a new meaning when it came to dancing.

Finally the song came to an end and Rosalie stopped the CD. She stepped closer to Sunehri and crossed her arms in true gangsta fashion.

"That was totally buck, girl!" she said in her best impression of an accent cultivated in the Bronx. The whole effect came off rather cutesy in Gareth's opinion.

Sunehri turned a dark shade of red at her friend's compliment and turned to Gareth.

"That's what you're going to be able to do when we're done with you," Sunehri said, making her words sound like an unintentional threat.

Gareth could only gulp nervously.

* * *

Archie and Atlanta were both truly sick and tired of how childish their mentors were. The way they always had to play them off against each other was really starting to get old. If it wasn't Ares arguing that Archie was much better at martial arts then it was Artemis trying to get it through his thick skull that Atlanta was the true master of all weapons.

Today was no exception and found Archie and Atlanta doing countless push-ups to see who could last longest. Neither dared to stop, no matter how tired they were, for both their mentors were watching them with dark eyes that clearly stated that it was either victory or a punishment almost as bad as death.

"You know, I'm really getting sick of this," Atlanta whispered to Archie.

"Yeah," Archie agreed. "We compete enough without them always pushing us."

"Wanna do something about it?" Atlanta asked. She knew he'd say yes even before he nodded. "On three we both fall down and say that we're too tired to go on. Then it's a tie."

"That's it?" Archie asked. "That's your brilliant plan?"

"It'll work, okay!" Atlanta hissed through clenched teeth. "Now, do you want to go along with it or do push-ups for another hour?"

Archie growled a near unintelligible 'fine' and started the whispered countdown. Three counts came and went without either one stopping the exercise. Archie's brow reddened.

"I thought you were going to stop on three," he said agitatedly.

"You didn't stop either!" she whispered angrily. "This time we stop for real."

Archie nodded and reinitiated the countdown. This time it was in a more deliberate, but still whispered, tone. He reached three and pretended to drop to the ground in extreme exhaustion. Atlanta, however, didn't. There was a devilish grin on her face as she proceeded to do ten more push-ups just to show him up properly.

"That's my girl," Artemis said proudly. Her face was quite proper and reserved. She then turned to Ares and… "Ha, in your face baldy, I told you she was better."

What followed was the usual argument that served as a signal for Atlanta and Archie to run before things got too ugly. They grabbed their sports bags and dashed out the gym doors as fast as their feet could carry them, only stopping once they had reached an empty classroom far away from the gym.

"You tricked me," Archie said accusingly.

"What can I say? When you're good you're good," she said with a shrug and moved to the door.

Archie growled angrily and stepped in her path.

"You're gonna pay for that," he said in a voice that didn't really sound menacing anymore.

"Oh really? What are you gonna do to me?"

A low growl escaped Archie's mouth and in one swift motion he had his arms around Atlanta. His lips found hers as if the two were magnetic and they both found themselves overwhelmed by passion. Atlanta's lips parted willingly, allowing Archie's tongue to explore the inner reaches of her mouth.

Atlanta's arms closed around his neck, causing a dangerous reaction to take place in his body. Archie growled again, this time more urgently, and pushed her back into the room; never breaking the kiss. He could feel the sudden stop of motion as the back of Atlanta's legs hit the teacher's desk. With strength that he thought only Herry possessed, Archie lifted Atlanta and placed her on the desk.

Pens, pencils and erasers flew in varied directions as Archie mounted the desk and resumed the feverish battle of their tongues. Atlanta's body was dangerously close to his and he could feel his resolve slipping. His mind told him that he had to stop, but his hands had other ideas.

So did Atlanta, it would seem. For in one fluid motion she pulled his hands from her face and spun him around. Her athletic legs straddled his waist while her hands pinned his above his head.

"Who said you could be on top?" Archie asked without making any effort to change their position.

"I did," Atlanta said and playfully nibbled on his lower lip.

The kiss that followed was filled with the kind of aggressive possessiveness that brought Archie dangerously close to losing control. He tried his best to keep a shred of rationality in his thoughts. Maybe it would be better if they stopped? Then again, maybe he didn't want to…

* * *

The rest of the week went by as if woven by the fates after an alcoholic binge. At times things would just fly by and move them all closer to the vampire's next attack at a hellish speed; while at other times things would come to a screeching halt and the heroes would find themselves wishing that they could just get the whole ordeal over with. Sufficed to say, their nerves were all a little shot when the final bell rang after the sixth day. The group willingly rushed to their mentors just to have something to do to keep their minds busy.

Thus it was that Gareth found himself back in the music classroom with Rosalie, Sunehri and Pan; or, as the girls knew him, Phil. The drum-beat was going mad in the background and Gareth's chest heaved rhythmically to the music.

"That's good, Gareth," Sunehri said encouragingly from the sidelines. "Just take it a little lower. The Krump is supposed to be all dirty and mean."

Rosalie, who was dancing alongside Gareth, pulled her face in a manner that was supposed to simulate being mean, but ended up making her look like a hyperactive dancing monkey. Gareth laughed, earning him stern glares from Pan and Sunehri.

"Oh, sorry! I'll be mean," he said and frantically moved his body to the changing beat.

Just then the door opened and Theresa slunk into the room. Her fiery hair immediately caught Gareth's attention. He was already busy waving his hand frantically before he realized that the dance wasn't over and that he had to keep moving. He quickly turned his wave into a full body motion of fluidity that didn't at all mesh with Sunehri's routine.

The song ended and Gareth finished the dance off with an impressive suicide-move in which he landed flat on his stomach. Theresa clapped and cheered supportively as Rosalie helped Gareth up off the ground.

"Not bad at all. You deviated from my routine, but it still looked good," Sunehri said kindly. "You might not be as rhythmically challenged as we first thought."

Gareth smiled at her praise, deciding not to let her know that he had actually slipped and that that was the reason for the perfect suicide at the end of the dance. He took a swig of water and fell onto the bench next to Theresa with beads of sweat running down his reddened skin.

"Bye Gareth," Rosalie and Sunehri called as they rushed out the door. "See you on Monday."

Gareth waved after them, while taking another long swig of water, his breathing slowly returning to normal.

"That looked exhausting," Theresa commented, "but you're getting good at it. One of these days you'll know all the right moves and then you'll be a fighting machine."

"Let's hope I never have to use my 'moves'," Gareth said; instinctively knowing that he would.

* * *

Cronus had been pacing in front of his stone throne for over an hour now and Agnon could see another one of his harebrained plans taking formation. This was always the way it went. Cronus would work out a crazy scheme; he and his brothers would do the dirty work and get the blame the moment they failed. To be honest, Agnon was getting rather tired of it. But what could he do? He was bound to serve Cronus for all eternity. Or at least until either side of this battle for the world won.

Agnon stepped forward, his enormous feet shaking the dimly lit chamber. Cronus felt the movement and turned to the giant.

"Yes, Agnon?" he asked with a raised brow.

Agnon grunted out his question which Cronus seemed to, inexplicably, understand.

"I'm thinking that the only way we are to stay out of Tartarus is to get rid of one of our enemies soon. Either we kill the mortals or we destroy that wretched witch. I honestly wouldn't mind the chance to gut any of them…"

Agnon had figured as much. He bowed his head and let yet another questioning grunt emanate from his mouth.

"I don't know!" Cronus roared, causing Agnon to cower in fear. "I'm still working on that. It will be easier to destroy the mortals, but they will be much harder to find than the witch."

Agnon resisted the urge to tell Cronus that if it was so easy to destroy the titans they would have managed it long ago, and instead chose to voice an idea of his own.

"What? Do you honestly think I haven't tried that already? Do you know how many schools there are in that wretched city? Besides, the gods have made damn sure that there is no way for me to find them. I wouldn't be able to see them, even if I were to walk right into their house. Assuming they live in a house…"

Agnon chose not to mention any of his other ideas and stood silently in the darkness. Cronus had resumed his pacing and debated his options loudly. His body froze when he finally came to a decision.

"Agnon," he roared to the, already attentive, giant. "Find me the Oracle and whatever scrolls you can on magical tracking. I think it's time we found out where our little witch lives."

Cronus seated himself on his throne and locked the points of his fingers together. The glint of evil delight was back in his eyes.

* * *

**Thank you for taking the time to read this chappie! **

**You'll notice that it's the longest one I've written for RID. Thus I would REALLY appreciate any input. Please review and make this wannabe gangsta's day! HEE! But seriously folks, I really value your opinions.**

**All the reviewers get the kisses they so rightly deserve. Except for WOCI who has generously decided to give it to Odie and Neil. I'll put them in the same room, my dear, but you'll have to get those two to kiss! :) Hugs are up for grabs for everybody who reviews this chappie. Come on folks! You can't let this chance go by!**

**Have a wonderful day/night! :)**


	10. Blood on the Moon

**Howdy there folks! Welcome to the tenth chapter of 'Rising in the Dark!'**

**As you have, no doubt, noticed I was forced to change the rating of my story to a 'M.' This was due to the increasingly mature direction the storylines were going in. Thus I had to make the change in order to avoid trouble (I don't want the coppers on my back) and to protect my gentle readers. I hope this doesn't cause any problems for you guys.**

**ANYWAY: I'd like to take a moment to thank all my INCREDIBLE reviewers by listing their names. They are: _Wings of Corrugated Irony, dazzeling diamond, tinianiatt, Elegos-Sirinial-Shamtul, 4evacrazy, .Invisible-Nobody., Ferlinda the Dreamweaver, Emilijah and the girls, Love is an Understatement, Zialicious, Emily, rubies'n'diamonds_ (tee-hee!)_, ariesgerl and annoyed person_(Yes, I appreciate your input too).**

**ALSO: thank you very much tinianiatt for being such an incredible Bet-reader. It is MUCH appreciated.**

**I do not own 'Class of the Titans' and, most likely, never will.**

* * *

'_Not so easy having the secrets of your destiny locked away in your mind is it_?'the dark voice asked.

He knelt down on the cold stone floor as the scene played out around him. He could hear the innocent's terrible screams. The scratching ache he heard in the boy's screams burnt blisters across his soul. He wanted to reach out and comfort him; to close his arms around the shoulders that shook with grief, but found himself unable to reach the ones he loved most.

'_That story will only end when the final storyline comes to a close. You know which one I'm talking about_...'

Grey light filtered through the broken windows of the palatial room. The inescapable fingers of death clawed greedily at every corner of the ancient building. He felt his body shiver when the broken voice of the fighter scarred itself permanently into his memory. He could feel her pain as if it was in his own body and found his mind screaming for the relief that he knew would not come. A strong male voice pleaded for help. Every syllable he cried begged for relief from the unbearable pain.

'_The flames will burn out when the crossed blades shine at their cruellest_.'

The scene was suddenly altered. The cries of pain and anguish were replaced by silence. Not even the sound of the wind could be heard in the barely lit room. A lone figure stood on the far side of the room. There was no way to tell for sure whether it was male or female. Its face and body was wreathed in shadow and mist; still there was something familiar about it. The aura of having been held dear to the heart hung heavily around this person. The figure stepped forward with its hands cupped and held out in front of it. A nearly burnt out candle lay in the cradle of its hands and shivered in the silence.

A silver cross with sharp edges began to rise behind the figure as it traversed the cobbled stone floor; its evil shadow consuming everything that could be seen. No footsteps echoed as the figure drew closer. All the while the cross grew larger and the flame of the candle diminished.

Years seemed to pass before the figure finally reached the end of its journey. Its pale face was near enough to see, yet still the familiar features remained agonizingly indistinguishable. The figure's lips moved as it began to speak, but no words could be heard for the silence stole them before their message could be conveyed.

Then the flame of the candle was blown out by a cruel wind that emanated from the jagged cross and everything was cast in dead darkness.

'_Not so easy having the secrets of your destiny locked away in your mind is it_?' the dark voice repeated, before the comfort of consciousness finally threw him back into his body.

Gareth's eyes flew open as a strangled scream escaped his lips. His body was entangled in his sheets and beads of sweat ran down his forehead. He quickly moved into a sitting position to make sure that he was back in his own room. The grey light that filtered through the curtains fell on familiar furniture and confirmed the safety of his surroundings.

Gareth hugged his knees to his chest and waited for his breathing to slow down. He looked out the window while resting his cheek on his knees. The world outside was just barely waking up. He could see the feeble light of the birth of a new day and knew that everything was about to be changed irrevocably. For the final day of the long week had come.

* * *

"Gareth, get down here! You're missing breakfast," Athena called.

"I'll be there in a minute!" Gareth called back.

He jumped into a pair of jeans and grabbed a shirt from the closet. He froze when he saw himself in the mirror. His half naked reflection stared back at him critically. The difference in his current appearance to when he had first arrived in the titans' world was striking. Though he was, by far, still not anywhere near what he considered good looking, Gareth could see subtle improvements. His arms and chest were a bit more defined and his slightly chubby belly was slowly disappearing. The most striking change, however, was the mark that was burned over his heart. The wound that Lilith had inflicted with the branding iron had finally healed and left a white phoenix scar in its place.

For a moment he traced his thumb across its lines and wondered what the future held. The troubling feeling that the nightmare he had had was something more refused to leave his mind. That and the horrible way in which his friends' pained voice's still echoed in his ears filled him with more dread than he needed on this particular day.

His thoughts were brought to a screeching halt when Athena's voice called out to him again. By the closer proximity thereof, he realized that she was coming up the stairs to get him. He pulled on his shirt as he rushed out the door. He ran into her at the top of the stairs. The annoyed expression on her face could not be missed. Flashing a hyper innocent smile, Gareth squeezed passed her and rushed to the kitchen.

Breakfast that morning was a rather sedate affair. The odd joke about Gareth taking so long to get dressed and Atlanta's vegetarianism was tossed about, but the chill of foreboding that crept beneath the surface could not be ignored completely. It was there in the frown on Jay's face, the way Theresa kept trying to rub her temples without being noticed and in Neil's overly alert eyes.

As the day wore on so did their nerves. It quickly reached the point where no one really felt like going out. Instead, they chose to use their nervousness to their advantage and each one prepared themselves in their own unique way. Herry spent most of his time in his room lifting weights while Odie set up his surveillance cameras. Archie and Atlanta did a long set of stretches and light exercises to keep their bodies primed for action. And while Gareth stood in the living room, trying to remember every move Sunehri and Rosalie had taught him, Theresa was on the roof stretching the invisible fingers of her mind out to pick up on any thought or feeling that would warn them of the attack. Morning faded into afternoon, which died into the unusually red clouds of twilight. The darkness of night crept up on them like a vicious predator bringing with it man's ancient fear of what might be hidden in the dark.

Athena's voice called through the Brownstone and the teens gladly rushed to the kitchen to eat their fill. All but Theresa, that is. She stood sentinel in the dark shadows of the roof and peered out at the night sky. One did not need night vision goggles to see the worried frown on her face.

"You all right?" Jay's voice suddenly asked behind her.

Theresa's breath caught in her throat with a start and for a few moments her eyes shimmered in purple light. Her breathing calmed considerably upon realizing that it was only Jay.

"I'm good," she said.

"Some week, eh?" Jay commented.

Theresa only nodded. Her hand shot up to her breast and nervously moved over the necklace she was wearing. Its circular, blue stone seemed to glow faintly in the moonlight.

"Is that the necklace Gareth gave you?" Jay asked curiously.

"Yes," Theresa said, her voice becoming more alert. "Let's hope he was right about it enhancing psychic abili-"

Theresa's eyes suddenly became wide and she inhaled sharply. For a moment Jay thought that she had had a vision, but her hand quickly shot into the sky.

"Jay, there's blood on the moon!" she exclaimed.

Jay looked up at the moon with a frown. There was indeed a slight red glow about it, but he apparently couldn't see why it was so important.

"And this is important… why exactly?" he asked.

"Blood on the moon Jay," Theresa said in exasperation. "It's only one of the oldest omens there is. It's a terrible sign. It means that something really bad is coming."

Jay looked back up at the sinister swirls of red that surrounded the full moon. When he'd first arrived in New Olympia he would have scoffed at the very idea of the color of the moon being important. Now however…

Jay reached out and gently took Theresa's hand in his. She gripped his fingers firmly and moved in closer to him.

"Don't worry," Jay whispered calmly. "Whatever is coming… no matter how bad it's gonna be… we'll face it as a team. And we'll win, like we always do." Jay pulled Theresa into a gentle hug, trying hard to focus as much of his warmth and strength on her as he could. Unfortunately responsibility outweighed emotion and Jay was forced to end the hug. "We have to go. It's time get ready."

Jay took hold of her hand and gently pulled her back into the building. For a moment she was frozen, her eyes still reflecting the crimson moon. Then, slowly, she turned away and followed him back inside; her free hand never ceasing to trace the outline of the Azurite necklace. She didn't know how to tell Jay that ever since the incident at the Herculean plaza they had been losing the fight against their enemies.

* * *

Looking through the dark she could see the smart one rush to his room in the basement. The flash of neon-light as the door closed was a clear indication that his laptop had been opened. Upstairs the others were heading to their individual rooms as casually as possible. Fake yawns and supposed goodnight wishes were to be heard in the otherwise unnaturally quiet air.

It was not long before the last door clicked shut and the mortals opened their PMR's to tap into the surveillance system. The leader whispered a command to the rest of the team and they settled in for the long stake-out. Time drew on at a grinding pace and soon it was well past midnight. The mortals' eyelids were starting to droop for real and they were becoming less alert.

Unbeknownst to the humans in the building she slipped out of the shadows. She had made all her observations and had waited until the moment they were off their guard. It was now stupidly easy to move through the shadows without being noticed. She could feel their emotions and knew that most of them were already half asleep. They were like lambs; totally unaware of the danger they were in and too weak to do anything about it anyway.

Her bare feet touched the floor without making a sound. They slithered across the soft rug and down the basement stairs. The door creaked loudly when she opened it, making the smart one spin around in surprise. She could see from the shocked expression on his face that he had realized the flaw in their plan. They had underestimated her bond with the blonde and were about to pay the price for it.

The smart one opened his mouth to warn them; which she expected. Her body crossed the room and crashed into him at a demonic speed. The laptop smashed to the floor as she slammed him onto the table. She could see the fear in his eyes when her hand snaked across his mouth to stifle his scream.

"I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth and you won't be able to call for help," she whispered into his ear. Her tone was calm, friendly even, yet the hypnotic command in it could not be denied.

She pulled back her hand and, sure enough, the African American boy remained silent. Only his wide eyes spoke of his terror. Her mouth came close to his and she whispered words that invaded the very depths of his mind, numbing his ability to flee.

She was enjoying this even more than torturing the vain blonde. There was a kind of innocence about this one that she found positively intoxicating. Her canine teeth elongated as her lust to feed grew. She decided to go for the classic spot first and, in one fell swoop, ripped his head to the side and punctured his neck with her teeth. His heart must have been beating incredibly fast for the blood positively surged into her eagerly waiting mouth. She drank of him like he was her only source of water in the heat of the desert. Still her lust could not be quenched. His blood was just too sweet and her usual control was slipping fast.

Lilith loved it…

* * *

"Nothing's happening, Jay." Theresa heard Archie whispered over the PMR. "Maybe we should call it a night?"

Jay's tired voice could clearly be heard as he sighed on the other end of the line.

"Let's give it one more hour. Then, if nothing has happened yet, we can get some sleep," he ordered.

A loud rumbling suddenly became audible in the PMR's and everyone strained their ears trying to figure out what it was.

"What was that?" Atlanta asked alertly.

"Sorry guys," Herry's voice said shyly. "I'm still a bit hungry."

A collective groan and one stifled snigger sounded through the house. They all settled back in and kept their ears peeled for anything that could be more threatening than Herry's growling stomach. The ticking of the clock passed the time at an agonizingly slow pace. And with lack of eventfulness came weariness.

A loud yawn came and went from one of the team members, but still no sign of the vampire could be seen near Neil's room. There came a moment in which Theresa could have sworn she heard a muffled thud somewhere downstairs, but since logic told her that anything of importance would obviously happen upstairs, in Neil's room, she ignored it. She could, however, not ignore the nagging feeling that something was wrong. There was a strange and uncomfortable warmth on her chest that pressed heavily on her sixth sense.

"Jay," she whispered into her PMR. "Something doesn't feel right. Are you sure we covered all the bases? I sense some kind of danger. Are you sure Neil's safe?"

"Yes I'm sure, Theresa. Neil is perfectly safe," Jay replied soothingly. "The danger you're sensing must mean that the vampire is on its way. So I want everyone to keep on their guard. We don't want to miss our chance to capture this thing." Jay's last words were directed to the team at large and they redoubled their efforts to stay alert.

Theresa didn't say anything more to Jay, but the nagging feeling that the danger wasn't approaching them but already there wouldn't stop plaguing her. The warmth on her chest increased, as if trying to push her into taking action by making her uncomfortable. But what could she do? She didn't even really know what exactly her senses were struggling with.

* * *

Lilith groaned in ecstasy as her tongue slid across the fresh wound on Odie's inner thigh. His skin had become slick with blood and saliva making the experience all the more intoxicating. Thin streams of blood were flowing from the boy's neck and chest and stained the table beneath him with a slick pool of draining life. The smell of his blood combined with his infuriatingly delicious taste caused an enraptured growl to hiss from Lilith's lips. Never before had she tasted anything so incredibly addictive.

With great difficulty she pulled her teeth away from the wound. She slithered her body onto the table and locked her legs on either side of the boy's hips. He was pinned to the table like a mouse in a trap. Yet the hysteric fear that had been in his eyes was fading. His skin had become deathly pale and his eyes were beginning to roll back into his skull. The extreme loss of blood was starting to take its toll and still there was no end in sight. For Lilith fully intended to make this a one time only visitation. She didn't plan on leaving him alive.

She took his hand in an almost reverent fashion and brought his wrist to her mouth. His arteries became lividly clear under his skin when her tongue raked across them. The soft crunch-like sound as her teeth punctured his wrist sent Lilith over the edge and her upper body arched back in pleasure. She wasted no time in starting to drain the boy completely. It was time to rip this team's heart out forever.

* * *

Theresa's breath came out in ragged gasps as she bent over on all fours. Her sixth sense was wildly out of control.

"Jay, get in here," she gasped into the PMR.

The heroic leader and his team members all rushed into the room in a surprisingly short amount of time. They took on defensive stances and scanned the room for the vampire, but found only Theresa lying on the floor.

"Theresa? What's wrong?" Jay asked, dropping his xiphos and rushing to her side.

"The necklace… it's burning me," she gasped. And indeed it was. Theresa had finally realized that the warmth that had pressed on her chest was the Azurite necklace. Upon coming to that realization she was immediately sent into a spiral of flashing images and painful gasps. "Something's wrong… I can feel it happening now," her last few words had to be said through gritted teeth, for the myriad of indistinct flashing images was becoming too much for her to handle.

"Nothing's wrong Theresa," Jay said tightening his reassuring grasp on her shoulder. "Look, we're all safe. We're all-"

Jay's eyes widened with the beginnings of realization and fear when his eyes fell on the team in front of him. Theresa looked up and came to the same horrible realization as he. Odie wasn't there and he had been unnaturally silent the entire night.

As if to confirm her fears, Theresa's sixth sense stopped paining her so much and she suddenly found herself on her feet. Odie's name flew from her lips as she dashed out the door and down the hall. Jay and the others were hot on her heels. Her feet crashed down the stairs three at a time; her speed making her stumble at the bottom. She was back on her feet and barreling to Odie's door before the others had even caught up properly. There was no time to waste. Theresa could feel Odie's life teetering on the edge of oblivion and she increased her pace to save him. She barely had to lift her hands to direct her powers at the door. She simply felt a glow of power surge through her eyes before the door was blasted off its hinges.

Theresa froze at the apex of the stairs that led to the basement and took in the horrible scene that was playing out below. Odie lay limply on the table in a pool of blood. Lilith's legs pinned him down while her mouth sucked greedily at his wrist. A roar of outrage bellowed from within Theresa and pulled Lilith from her rapture. She looked up just as the fiery fighter lifted her hands to attack.

"Get off of my friend," Theresa hissed lethally as a purple shockwave blasted from her hands and sent Lilith careening into the opposite wall. She didn't hesitate for a moment before running to Odie's side. "Jay, we need to get him to Chiron," she said urgently, noting his deathly pallor.

Theresa hooked both her hands under Odie's shoulders and pulled him off the table, when an unearthly roar caught her attention. Lilith had risen from the ground and stormed at Theresa like an enraged tiger. Her feet leapt in the air and vaulted her over the table as if it was nothing. It took only one brutal blow from the back of her hand to send Theresa and Odie crashing to the floor.

"Everybody, attack!" Jay roared angrily and the group at large stormed the blonde.

Jay reached Lilith first and slashed his xiphos with brute determination at her neck. Lilith, however, expected this move and avoided decapitation by quickly falling on her back. Jay tried to compensate for the failed blow by slashing the blade down on Lilith. Unfortunately, her feet were faster and she slammed her foot into his stomach with devastating force. She was back on her feet and fighting the others even as Jay crumbled to the ground.

Archie came at her with his Hephaestus whip at the ready. He clearly expected her to evade the blow that was to come. Thus he was unprepared when Lilith charged straight at him. Her outstretched arm smashed into his neck, sending him flying backwards like a beaten rag doll.

"Archie!" Atlanta yelled; her voice filled with rage and the beginnings of panic.

Both she and Neil charged at Lilith to attack her from opposite sides. Lilith, however, was a foe to be reckoned with and she easily evaded Atlanta's roundhouse kick by ducking out of the way. Luck, it would seem, didn't always work in Lilith's presence for Neil became the unintended recipient of Atlanta's attack when he ran into her furious flying foot. Atlanta forced herself to ignore the stab of guilt she felt and kept her focus on Lilith. The blonde witch was, for once, on the receiving end of an attack when Atlanta's balled fist crashed into her shoulder. The attack was made all the more effective by the fact that Atlanta's wrist-mounted laser-crossbow discharged mid-punch to burn an angry hole into Lilith's flesh.

The witch roared angrily, her face scrunched up in pain, and retaliated with a devastating salvo of lightning fast punches. The hunter crumbled to the ground, leaving only Herry to keep Lilith from escaping. Lilith charged forward like an enraged mountain lion, her feet slapping the floor with deathly speed. Herry, however, took advantage of his approaching enemy's speed and smashed his interlocked fists squarely into her face.

The witch fell limply to the ground. She lay quite still as Herry approached, his bulky frame towering over her. He froze when she suddenly stirred. As if by some unholy miracle Lilith pushed herself to her knees and looked up at Herry. A thick stream of blood flowed from her, obviously broken, nose. Lilith looked into Herry's eyes and her face lit up with maniacal glee. Her deranged laughter was terrible to hear. Her laughing form seemed to be somewhat unsteady and swayed back and forth as if ready to collapse at any given moment.

Herry's strong hand reached to restrain Lilith, but her faux dizziness disappeared in an instant and she lashed out viciously. Her balled fist slammed into his groin with sickening force. A strangled gasp of pain sprang from Herry's lips as she hit him a second time. Herry crumbled to the ground his body balled up in pain.

"Was that it?" Lilith asked mockingly while getting to her feet. She alone towered over the fallen titans. "Was that all it took to take you pathetic heroes out? I should have attacked you a long time ago."

Her light feet traversed the room quickly and came to a halt in front of Jay's prone figure. She lifted the groaning boy by his hair to look into his eyes. He was too drained of energy to retaliate.

"Let's end this silly game right now, shall we?" Lilith said.

She flicked her wrist and a cross shaped dagger appeared in her free hand. The blade shone venomously as she brought it to his throat, its jagged edge causing a single tear of blood to dribble down his neck upon contact. Lilith tensed her muscles to slit his throat when a sudden whistle sounded behind her. She turned around to find the source of the disturbance only to look into Gareth's blackened irises.

The veins on Gareth's face stood out angrily against his skin. His pitch black irises combined with his angry scowl gave him quite a demonic countenance.

"You hurt my friends," Gareth said in a voice that did not belong to him. He shook his head to emphasize the gravity of her error.

Then a demonic roar, not unlike that of the zombies Lilith had commanded at the plaza, thundered from his mouth and blasted against the walls. Gareth launched himself forward and slammed his fist into Lilith's nose. The witch shrieked and retaliated by rapidly jabbing the point of her dagger at Gareth's heart. He, however, dodged each and every one of her blows by swaying his body back in time with her thrusts. It was like some kind of bizarre dance in which a missed step meant death.

Gareth ducked under her final blow and rammed his shoulder into Lilith's stomach. He half-picked her up from the ground and rammed her body into the opposite wall. The witch used her elevated position to her advantage and rammed her elbow into the back of Gareth's neck. He sank to his knees with a groan, but did his best to continue in his fight. Lilith followed up her elbow jab by smashing her knee into Gareth's face. His head flew back at the same time that Lilith slammed both her fists onto his ears. Gareth heard a loud popping noise and felt a jolt of pain shoot through his head. He fell back on the floor and watched as Lilith advanced on him.

In a last desperate move Gareth lifted his fists and concentrated with all his might. The shadows obeyed his command and, having become tangible, blasted Lilith's body clear across the room. She sprang up and charged at Gareth once more, but the darkness pushed her further and further away with each attempt.

Lilith screamed in outrage when the shadows finally pushed her out the door of Odie's room. She flashed one final look of pure loathing into the room before disappearing into the night. A deafening silence remained in Lilith's wake.

It took several minutes for Gareth to finally muster the strength to get to his feet. He stumbled over to Jay who seemed to be stirring.

"Jay, are you okay?" he asked rather loudly.

"Yeah," Jay said. His voice sounded like it was coming from the other side of a football field. He took hold of Gareth's hands and let himself be pulled to his feet. "Gareth, run to the school and get Chiron and Athena. I'll stay behind with the others."

Gareth nodded at his leader's command and stumbled to the door. He did his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his body and hurry to the school, for the lives of his friends were at stake.

* * *

**Thanks for reading the chappie folks! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Every reviewer gets those hugs I promised! The team is already waiting! :)**

**PLEASE REVIEW people! It'd be SO much appreciated. I love to hear all your thoughts and opinions. So don't hesitate to review and tell me what you think or feel.**

**Have an amazing day/night! :)**


	11. Love, Friendship and Secrets

**Howdy folks! Welcome to the eleventh installment of Rising in the Dark!**

**As always, I'd like to thank my wonderful reviewers for dropping a line and making my day. You guys really are incredible.**

**ALSO: Thanks for the incredible Beta work, tinianiatt! :)**

**IMPORTANT: The ever brilliant Elegos-Sirinial-Shamtul has started with an awards project for Class of the Titans fiction. Sort of like the CoTT Oscars. As such he would dearly love to hear from you about any fics you want to nominate. Please PM him or me for more details on this project. This is your chance to nominate your favorite fic and, perhaps, see it get the recognition it deserves! **

**I do not own Class of the Titans. Never have, never will. :)**

* * *

Chiron's study was overpopulated by drawn and swollen faces. Each and every member of the team looked like they had just survived a train wreck of epic proportions. Archie was still taking wheezing breaths through his mouth while Herry was bent over slightly with a pack of ice firmly wedged between his legs. Most of the rest of the team sported various bumps, bruises and amounts of blood on their person.

Gareth, however, sat a little to the side of the group. He wore a pair of dark shades to hide the fact that his eyes had turned pitch black in the aftermath of his fight with Lilith; something Chiron contributed to the excessive use of his powers. But even though his eyes were hidden, the sullen expression on his face seemed more pronounced than that of the rest of the team. Jay felt a twinge of worry and wondered what was going on in the sad looking teen's mind. He looked over at Theresa and noticed that she had also been examining Gareth a little closer. She shrugged her shoulders at his questioning glance and turned back to listen to what the gods were saying.

"I think it's safe to say that your plan was a complete and utter failure," Ares said.

He stood amongst the group of gods and goddesses that looked down at their respective charges. The disapproval on his face was blindingly clear and showed the promise of uncomfortable punishment for their failure.

"We did the best we could given the situation, Ares," Jay said wearily. "We had no way of knowing that it would be Lilith or that she would know about our plan."

"Didn't Chiron tell you that she had some stupid connection with Neil?" Ares barked. "You should have taken that into account! And what's worse, she took you out like it was child's play. I expected better from you all; especially you Archie," Ares added while giving his purple haired student a side-long glare.

Archie tried to choke out a reply, but he was still having trouble with even breathing after the heavy blow he took to his throat. Thus he was only able to cough out something along the lines of 'I did my best.'

"Well your best wasn't good enough. You should have-" Ares started launching into a new tirade, but was cut off by Hera's stern voice.

"Thank you, Ares. I think they've been scolded enough," Hera said, her voice making it clear that she wouldn't tolerate any more of Ares' anger. She turned to face the team. "Now children, I understand that you were dealing with unexpected circumstances and that you didn't anticipate facing such a powerful adversary, but you need to be more careful. Separating Odie from the group was a near-fatal mistake that you cannot make again."

Everyone in the group nodded sullenly to show their agreement before turning their heads down to stare at the tiled floor. They were taking their defeat at Lilith's hands very hard indeed.

"Will Odie be okay?" Jay asked in a low voice.

Hera gave her charge the most fleeting of comforting smiles before sighing heavily.

"He's going to have to stay in bed for a few days. He will most likely be unconscious for most of that time. Chiron has assured me, however, that no permanent damage as been done. The most he'll keep from this ordeal is a scar or two."

Jay nodded and rejoined the rest of the team in their silent sulk. The burden of their failure was weighing more heavily on his shoulders than on the rest of the team. As the leader he felt responsible for the entire catastrophe.

"I think you children should go and get some rest. We have already set out your beds in the gymnasium."

"Might as well keep them there," Atlanta said under her breath. "We spend more time sleeping in the gym than anywhere else anyway."

Hera smiled gravely at Atlanta.

"Don't worry. It will only be for tonight. Tomorrow you will all move back into the Brownstone."

"What?" the group exclaimed in unison.

"Are you nuts?" Neil screeched in record high pitch. "We can't go back there! Not when there's a crazy vampire-chick who keeps drinking our blood like Kool-aid!"

Hera's eyebrows arched slightly, but she apparently decided to ignore Neil's question of her sanity.

"I assure you that every step will be taken to keep this from happening again. I have already contacted the Mayor's office and he has agreed to provide us with some more… specialized protective measures."

"The mayor knows about you guys?" Theresa asked. "I thought we were the only ones."

"The mayor is one of the few other officials who know," Hera stated. "We need somebody in a high position of political power to help keep your fight against Cronus under wraps."

"Why?" Atlanta asked. "Up to now we've been keeping things a secret without anyone's help."

"Oh really? Do you remember that time you bombed the Kraken? Who do you think helped us to keep things quiet when the government detected a large explosion on their radar?" Hera asked with a knowing smile. "Trust me; the mayor is an old and trusted friend. Our secret is safe with him. Now you children must excuse us while we arrange the new safety precautions for the Brownstone. Goodnight."

And without further ado Hera turned around and led the rest of the gods and goddesses out of the room. They left a pronounced silence in their wake.

"I guess we'd better get to bed then," Jay said.

As if they'd just been waiting for his command the group of teenagers got to their feet and exited the study. Jay walked over to Herry who was still seated on his bench. The muscular titan had a pronounced grimace on his face.

"You okay buddy? How're you feeling?" Jay asked.

"Like I'm never gonna have kids," Herry groaned. He gingerly lifted the ice-pack and placed it beside him.

Jay laughed merrily, his spirit lifting now that the gods had finished scolding them and everything was getting back to normal. He held out his hand to Herry and pulled him to his feet.

"Let's go buddy," Jay ordered kindly. "I think we could both do with some rest."

A few minutes later Jay turned off the lights to the gym and settled himself in for a long night's rest. His spirits had lifted considerably on his way to the gym, for he could not help but laugh at Herry's bow-legged walk.

* * *

A muffled beep sounded in his ear as Herry paced in the backyard of the Brownstone. He and his friends had moved back less than ten minutes prior.

"Hey Medelia," Herry said eagerly, pressing the PMR closer to his ear. "It's me… Herry," Herry cringed. He felt insanely stupid for thinking that he'd need to tell his own girlfriend that it was him speaking. "So… uh… I know this is the fifth time I called you, but I can't seem to reach you and… uh… I really need to ask you something important. Please call me as soon as you get this message. Love you."

With the message sent Herry had nothing to do but wait for a reply. Not that he felt much like waiting. It had been days since he had last heard from Medelia and after the disaster that was the previous night's mission he really felt the need to be alone with her. Herry's pacing came to a screeching halt when an idea finally came into his mind. He gave the PMR one fleeting glance before shoving it into his pocket and darting into the house.

His friends were all slumped on various kitchen chairs and chewed listlessly on the cornflakes in their bowls. Jay was trying valiantly to cheer everyone up, but might just as well have been telling jokes to a wall for all the attention they paid him. Archie and Gareth in particular stood out amongst the group; for Archie was glaring silently at his bowl of cereal as if trying to melt it with his eyes while Gareth remained hidden behind a pair of dark shades with a sad expression on his face. Herry twitched uncomfortably and decided that he'd rather get out of there as fast as possible.

"I'm going out for a while," he announced to the room at large and darted to the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jay asked.

Herry turned back to face Jay. He couldn't help but notice that Gareth was looking at him from the corner of his eye.

"Oh, I'm just going to see Medelia. She isn't answering my calls and I really need to talk to her about the Valentine's school dance before it's too late," Herry said quickly.

Theresa instantly perked up at the mention of the dance and got an excited twinkle in her eyes. Atlanta on the other hand just snorted at her friend's reaction and resumed eating her cereal. Gareth's reaction, however, was the most troubling. The blonde's face seemed to deflate right before Herry's eyes. As if feeling Herry's eyes on him, Gareth quickly turned away and became extremely preoccupied with his food.

"Well good luck with that," Jay said in a slightly sceptical tone that didn't miss Herry's attention.

The brawn nodded at his friends and quickly walked out of the kitchen. He grabbed his keys from the table in the hallway and jumped through the front door at the exact time that a cry of warning rang out from the kitchen. Unfortunately, it was too late and immediately a blaring alarm went off inside the house.

"Aw crud," Herry groaned.

Seconds later three black vans skidded to a halt in front of the building and a group of marines charged into the street.

"Freeze!" a commanding voice yelled at Herry as a myriad of gun barrels were pointed at his chest.

Herry slowly lifted his hands into the air, a nervous expression on his face.

"Uh… I give up," he said uncertainly and opened his fist to drop his car keys to the ground.

The marine who'd yelled at him squinted his eyes heavily and pulled a picture out of his pocket. He briefly examined it before turning his gaze back to Herry. He sighed exasperatedly and relaxed his stance. He removed his padded helmet and wiped sweat off his shaved head.

"Stand down, men," he commanded. "It's one of the kids."

Slowly the forest of gun-barrels lowered to the ground and the marines all relaxed. Some of them examined Herry curiously while others fidgeted irritably and waited for a command.

"Damn it kid! Why the hell did you trip the motion sensors?" the marine asked, a vein pulsing angrily in his temple. "Weren't you specifically told to deactivate the sensors if you wanted to leave the premises?"

"Sorry," Herry said nervously. "I forgot."

"Well don't do it again.... Where are you going anyway?" the marine asked with narrowed eyes.

"I'm just going to see my girlfriend. I won't be gone too long."

"Then one of my men will escort you," the marine stated bluntly. "Wallace, go with the boy."

Immediately a burly looking soldier moved in Herry's direction.

"Whoa! I don't need a nanny. I can look after myself," Herry said quickly.

"I didn't ask if you wanted to be escorted, kid," the first marine snapped. "He's going with you whether you like it or not. The mayor told us to baby-sit you kiddies and that's what we're going to do." Turning to the burly marine next to Herry he added, "Make sure he gets home before dark."

He turned away having apparently decided that the situation was in hand.

"Everybody back in the vans, move it!" he ordered.

As quick as lightning the rest of the marines marched into the vehicles which sped out of sight, leaving a highly annoyed looking Herry standing in the street. He picked up his keys and moved to his truck. Wallace, the marine, followed stoically in his wake. He had barely closed his door when the marine spoke up.

"Remember to put on your seatbelt kid."

Herry stopped himself from growling that he was about to and simply went about getting the truck into motion. He was agitatedly grinding his teeth all the way to Medelia's house, because if there was one thing that Herry knew it was that he didn't need a babysitter; especially not while he was trying to find a way to, for once, be alone with his girlfriend.

* * *

Gareth sat alone on his bed, his guitar pressed firmly against his body. His fingers were toying listlessly with its strings. Slowly they began to play the opening notes of a song he remembered listening to before coming to New Olympia. The words he longed to say flowed freely as he began to sing.

_He looks at me_

_I fake a smile so he won't see_

_What I want and I need_

_And everything that we should be_

Gareth still remembered the way Herry had looked at him that morning; like he had borrowed Theresa's powers and could read Gareth's every thought. Why did those eyes have to constantly remind him of everything that he so desperately needed?

_I know she's beautiful_

_That girl he talks about._

_And she's got everything _

_That I have to live without_

_He__ talks to me_

_I laugh cause it's so damn funny_

_I can't even see _

_Anyone__ when he's with me_

_He says he's so in love_

_He's finally got it right_

_I wonder if he knows_

_He's all I think about at night_

_He's the reason for the__ teardrops on my guitar_

_The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star_

_He's the song in my heart I keep singing_

_Don't know why I do_

_He walks by me_

_Can he tell that I can't breathe?_

_And there he goes, so perfectly_

_The kind of flawless I wish I could be_

The kind of flawless not even Neil could be… Gareth knew that he was seeing Herry through different eyes than everyone else, but he just couldn't help it. There was just something in Herry's eyes and his slightly innocent smile that made the rest of the world pale in comparison.

A sudden creaking sound in the doorway pulled Gareth from his reverie and alerted his attention to the fiery redhead looking at him. Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed that her presence was no longer a secret.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Gareth," Theresa said earnestly. "I didn't want to interrupt you."

"It's okay. You can come in," Gareth said and quickly placed his guitar on the floor beside him.

Secretly, he was glad that Theresa had come along when she did. He was becoming too absorbed in the song and his thoughts of Herry. And that was _definitely_ not healthy.

"That's a beautiful song," Theresa said while getting onto the bed. She crossed her legs and faced the sad looking blonde. "Did you write it?"

Gareth chuckled. "No. Someone much more talented than me wrote and sang it. So… what can I help you with?"

"I just came to see if you're okay. You've been looking a bit… off lately."

Gareth smiled ruefully. Theresa truly didn't miss a thing. Sometimes he wished she would. It didn't help him to talk about things he could do nothing about.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just a little tired out after last night's fight," Gareth lied.

An exasperated sigh escaped Theresa's lips. Gareth could see that she wasn't particularly inclined to believe him.

"Don't lie to me Gareth. I can sense your sadness. I know you've been that way for a while now and that it's been getting worse." Theresa paused for a moment. Gareth could feel her eyes searching his face for a reaction. A reaction he did his best not to give. "I'm here because I'm your friend. I wanna help you. Please…"

"I'm fine," Gareth said; his voice an octave higher than usual. "Really."

"No, you're not," Theresa insisted angrily.

She leaned forward so suddenly that the movement caught Gareth completely off guard. Her right hand reached forward, as if reaching through a thick haze, while her left reached for her temple. Gareth instantly saw the signs that meant she was trying to read his mind. His hands flew to the sides of his head and clutched his ears while he hummed in a loud and uneven tone, doing his best to keep his thoughts off… everything. Theresa's forehead creased in concentration as she leaned even closer to force the information out of Gareth. He hummed even louder, as if a louder tune could block her from his heart, but inevitably the single word he had feared slipped from her lips.

"Lonely," Theresa gasped. Her eyes shot open and locked onto Gareth's shivering form. "You're lonely?"

"Get out of my head!" he bellowed while backing away to the far side of the bed. His chest heaved with emotion and he couldn't quite bring himself to meet her eyes.

"Gareth-"

The door to Gareth's room burst open and Jay stormed inside with his xiphos drawn.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"Nothing," Theresa said quietly. She got up and quickly moved across the room. "Gareth and I just need some time alone to discuss a few things." Her hands gently, but firmly, pushed Jay back out the door. "We'll be all right."

The door clicked shut, sealing them both in with a heavy silence. Theresa stood quietly for a moment; seemingly not prepared to deal with what she had learned.

"You're lonely?" she asked again.

Her eyes searched for his, but he still couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"Yes," he whispered in a small voice.

Theresa looked terrified at how much he resembled just another small boy at that moment. She didn't seem to want to see Gareth that vulnerable, didn't want to admit that perhaps he wasn't as happy as he should be...as happy as she'd thought he was.

She traversed the room and climbed back onto the bed without taking her eyes off him. Her left hand slid across the sheets and firmly grabbed hold of his.

"Why?"

'I- I guess… I miss my family," he said, sounding very relieved to finally get it off his chest. "It's been months since I've seen them and… sometimes I wonder if they miss me too."

"Of course they do, Gareth. I'm sure that they've been searching for you ever since you disappeared."

"Really? I'm not so sure. The last time I saw my dad, we had this huge fight. He and my mom… let's just say they can't really wrap their minds around me being- what I am."

Theresa's right hand now joined her left in holding onto Gareth's, as if by touching his hand she could ease his pain.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe they can't accept who you are. But that doesn't mean they don't miss you and that they don't still love you. They're parents, Gareth. They don't have any other choice but to love you."

The soft chuckle that drifted ruefully from Gareth's mouth lifted Theresa's spirits slightly.

"You'll see them again," she said with the utmost conviction. "Once Odie is back on his feet he'll get back to working on the portal and you can go to your family. You just need to hold on for a while, okay?"

Gareth nodded silently. Theresa's eyes searched Gareth's face. She could feel that there was still something that needed to be said.

"That's not the only reason why you're sad, though. Is it?"

Gareth's eyes took ages to meet hers. They answered her so clearly that she had little doubt as to what else was bothering him.

"Herry?" she inquired.

Gareth nodded. "It's something I've been thinking about for a while now," Gareth said. "Things can't go on like this. I can't go on pining uselessly after Herry while he keeps running after Medelia. So maybe it's best if I just… give up."

"No!" the word flew from Theresa's mouth before Gareth had even finished his sentence properly. "You can't give up. You're so much better for Herry than Medelia will ever be. Just give him some time to realise that you're the one he wants."

"Theresa, I-"

"There is a spark between you two. You have chemistry, Gareth. You can't just give up on that."

"Then what do you propose I do? Give him a love potion? Force him to notice me?" Gareth bellowed angrily. "He only wants to be with Medelia. Why can't you see that I don't stand a chance?"

"Because you and I both know that Herry and Medelia will never last together! She doesn't love him. You on the other hand do. You can save him from her." Theresa's last words were a mere whisper. The determination blazing in her eyes made it clear that she would not give up this argument soon. "You do love him, don't you?"

Gareth could feel the anger inside him fading. Theresa's words had stolen his will to fight and left him defenceless under her questioning glare. There was no way that he could lie to her now.

"Yes," he stated firmly.

"Then don't give up on him," Theresa said, gently squeezing his hand. "I know he's a bit slow in the love department, but one of these days he's gonna turn around and see just how much of a catch you really are."

A light laugh hiccupped from Gareth's lips and brightened his eyes. He nodded and turned his gaze out the window, wondering if the fates would really allow that day to come. They sat side by side for the longest of times, their silence completely amicable. Apologies, it would seem, were not necessary, their earlier shouting match was already forgotten.

But as the light in the room began to fade so did Gareth's smile. A frown covered his brow and it was not long before Theresa's quizzical look brought on a new conversation.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I was just wondering… If I were to, you know, compete against Medelia for Herry…" Gareth paused for a moment, his face flushing a violent shade of red. He grinned in spite of himself. "Well, it's just that I'm kinda at a disadvantage."

"What do you mean?" Theresa asked excitedly. "Do you want me to help you _seduce_ Herry?"

Gareth's eyes widened in horror at the excited and willing expression on Theresa's face, no doubt, she was already pulling all her romancing techniques off the shelves of her mind to bestow upon him.

"No! That's not what I meant. Besides, I could never-" For some reason Gareth's blush intensified. He gave the locked door a tentative look before leaning toward Theresa. "If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anybody?"

Theresa made a zipping motion over her lips and threw away an invisible key. Gareth beckoned to her and she eagerly scooted closer to him.

"Promise you won't laugh at me," he said in a last effort to preserve his fragile male ego.

"I won't laugh. Just tell me what it is, already!"

"I- uh… I- I don't know how to kiss," he said in a quick whisper, as if trying to get something unpleasant out of the way.

"What?" Theresa asked in surprise. She had evidently not expected this.

"You heard me," Gareth said in embarrassment.

"But how can you not know?" Theresa asked in a voice filled with wonderment.

"Because it just so happens my first kiss was with Lilith. Remember she forced herself on me at the Herculean plaza?"

"Oh. My. Word! _That_ was your first kiss? You poor thing," Theresa exclaimed looking both disgusted and sorry for Gareth at the same time. "At least your second kiss was better," she said in an attempt to make him feel better.

"Uh… Theresa? That was also with Lilith," he said slowly.

"Oh, geeze, sorry, I forgot about that! Then the third one was the better kiss," she rectified quickly.

"My third kiss was also from Lilith, Theresa," he said, making the fighter blush. "Herry was the fourth. Besides, that doesn't really count. It was just a peck. It wasn't a kiss-kiss."

"But- but didn't you date anyone back in your world?"

"Let's just say that the dating pool is virtually non-existent for people like me, when you grow up in a small town. See what I'm trying to say here? How can I compete with Medelia when I haven't even properly kissed someone who _isn't_ undead?"

Theresa stared at Gareth for only a few seconds in silence. Then she began to giggle uncontrollably. Bursts of near hysteric laughter reverberated off the walls. Gareth didn't need a mirror to tell him that he was giving Theresa a particularly potent version of the evil eye.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, her laughter not having died out properly, yet. "It's just that you're over-analyzing in the extreme here. Gareth, what in the world makes you think that you need to _learn_ how to kiss?"

"Bu- but I- I thought-" he spluttered.

"Relax," Theresa ordered soothingly. "Stop stressing about it. It comes naturally, so don't even think about it."

Gareth took a deep breath and relaxed his posture.

"If you say so," he said uncertainly. "Thanks for the advice."

"No problem."

They sat there in serene silence; watching through the window as the last rays of sunlight died away.

"Theresa?" Gareth said softly.

"Yes Gareth?"

"Thanks for being my friend."

"You too," Theresa replied, pulling Gareth into a friendly embrace.

* * *

Odie sat quietly on the edge of the bed as Chiron rambled on and on about him getting enough rest and taking things slow. The gods had decided that it might make him feel better to recuperate back in the Brownstone with his friends.

He looked over at Jay, Neil and Atlanta who had come to fetch him. Their smiles were reassuring but also a little unsure. They did not seem to know how to behave around him.

"Relax guys. You look like you're at a funeral," Odie said with a smile.

His teammates exhaled audibly and returned his smile. He nodded at Chiron when he was told he could leave, and allowed Jay and Atlanta to help him walk out of the room. Their hands were reassuringly firm on his shoulders as they steered him toward the exit.

"Don't worry, buddy," Jay said kindly. "We'll be back home in a few minutes and then you'll be able to get some more sleep."

Odie did not answer, for Hera's aviary had just come into sight. They walked passed the open door in hypnotic slow-motion. The gleam of the tile floor was disturbingly alluring. He turned and met eyes with Neil. He knew that the blonde had been looking at the same spot as he; his eyes filled with the same hunger.

Jay and Atlanta didn't notice. They were too absorbed in keeping Odie comfortable and safe to see his hunger. Too unaware of the danger, too ignorant of what was hidden just a few steps away, under the aviary's floor.

**

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed the chappie! Thanks for reading.**

**Please remember to review! Even if it's just to give a small opinion on something trivial. I do so love to hear from you guys.**

**May you all have an incredibly wonderful day/night! :)**


	12. Crushed Roses Part 1

**Hey there guys and girls! Thought I'd forgotten about this story haven't you? NEVER!!! :) Sorry for the long hiatus. Life kinda took over there for a bit. But I'm back and we're ready to get to the final act of 'Rising in the Dark.'  
**

**I'd like to take this moment to thank all my wonderful reviewers. You crazy kids always make my day extremely wonderful. Thank you so much.**

**As for tinianiatt... Words cannot describe how incredibly wonderful a beta reader she is, so a mere 'thank you very much' will have to do.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Class of the Titans.' (I have, officially, decided that I'm going to try to make this the last chapter in which I type THAT particular disclaimer. After all, who in their right mind would believe I own 'Class of the Titans?') I also don't own 'Teardrops on my Guitar' by Taylor Swift, which was used in the previous chapter.**

**Have fun and enjoy the chappie! :)**

* * *

With violent fights, home invasions, government escorts and serial vampire attacks in their recent past the teens hadn't given Valentine's Day much thought. True, Herry had finally managed to get Medelia to go to the dance with him and Theresa went into tiny giggle fits every time they passed a poster advertising the reopening of romantic-balloon-ogram season. It was still a shock, though, when they entered the kitchen that morning to find Eros and Psyche sitting at their kitchen table.

Eros' blonde hair and round middle were, as ever, in stark contrast to his wiry framed, red headed wife.

"Would my little shmoogly-poo like more waffles?" Psyche asked in a sickeningly sweet voice; all the while staring into Eros' eyes with abject adoration.

"That would be great," he cooed and pulled Psyche into a passionate embrace.

Gareth could hear Archie making loud gagging sounds behind him. He had to agree though. There was such a thing as too much sweetness. Jay cleared his throat and immediately drew the two lovebirds' attention.

"Oh Eros look, the kids are finally here!" Psyche squealed in delight.

Eros smiled and waved jovially at them. Gareth couldn't help but notice how much he looked like a young, blonde Danny DeVito at that moment. The resemblance was striking; especially since Eros' personality was in such stark contrast to his dark haired doppelganger.

"Hello Eros, Psyche. What are you doing here?" Jay asked.

"Well, we figured that since its Valentine's Day today we'd pay you a visit. Besides, we never really thanked you for helping us that time Cronus kidnapped my darling, Psyche," Eros said, giving Psyche an affectionate squeeze.

"That's right," Psyche spoke up. "So Eros and I thought we'd come reward you all with some love."

The teens' mingled feelings of confusion and apprehension was clear in their widened eyes and the way they leaned away from the cherubic delivery man of love.

"Don't look so scared!" Eros said with an amused chuckle. "I'm just gonna shoot you with my love arrows so you can feel a little extra romantic and happy today."

Unfortunately for Eros, the teens still seemed apprehensive. Being shot with an arrow definitely didn't sound pleasant, even if it was laced with love.

"You don't have to do that," Jay said quickly.

"Yeah, we're fine just as we are," Archie added quickly. He looked positively terrified at the thought that he might end up in as sappy a mood as Eros and Psyche.

"But I got a new crossbow especially for the occasion. The _Amorous-2009_ is the most advance model yet. You sure I can't test this baby out on one of you?" he pleaded while hopefully eyeing Gareth. The teens shook their heads fervently. "All right, then. Who am I to argue if you don't want my gift?"

Eros dropped the loaded crossbow onto the table. This turned out to be a huge mistake since the weapon discharged and sent a sharp arrow flying at the group of teenagers. There was a moment of terrible silence before Gareth fell to the floor with a strangled gasp, clutching at his chest in pain. He lay quite still on the floor, his breathing as silent as death.

* * *

"Well?" the moody god of time asked.

He was in yet another one of his bad moods. Agnon chose to ignore the rude tone he was addressed in and stepped forward to report to his master.

"What do you mean you can't find her anywhere? She's an undead witch who likes to steal corpses. How hard can it be to find her?"

Agnon was quick to answer. He could clearly see the crease on Cronus' forehead becoming more and more pronounced.

"You and your brothers' incompetence is really starting to vex me Agnon," Cronus said in agitation. "What of the other mission? Have you found _her_?"

Again Agnon was forced to reply in the negative. As much as he feared telling Cronus the truth, he feared lying to him even more. The god of time had little patience for failure, but absolutely none for deception. Unless he was the one doing the deceiving that is…

As expected, Cronus' face turned an awe inspiring shade of red at hearing of yet another failed mission. For a moment the god of time was forced to close his eyes and take a deep breath. Agnon was secretly grateful that the angered god took the time to calm himself. It was a merciful courtesy he granted no other giant.

"Then here is what you are going to do; send your brothers to keep a lookout for any mysterious magical activity, especially in places like graveyards or morgues where lots of dead bodies can be found. I want to be informed the moment that witch makes a move in New Olympia."

Agnon nodded his head rapidly and waited for further instructions.

"As for the other one… I want you to personally go searching for her. Find her Agnon. It is very important.

Again Agnon nodded. He knew how important this mission was to Cronus and didn't dare to do or say anything to dissuade him in his quest. Questioning the crimson-eyed Titan was something only the suicidal did. He turned and headed for the exit of the cave when Cronus' voice called to him.

"Do not fail me Agnon," Cronus said in a clearly threatening tone.

* * *

"Eros, honey, sometimes I really wonder if giving you a bow and arrows was such a good idea," Aphrodite said to her son. "Maybe you should buy yourself a Love-Hammer. They're much easier to handle. Besides, I always thought they were a much better representation of love. Both hit you hard and leave you dizzy for a long time…"

Eros did not seem to want to speak and returned his attention to Gareth's prone form. They had quickly transported the wounded teen to Aphrodite's spa and laid him on her luxurious circular bed.

"Oh move over. Honestly, you act like you're not the goddess of love's son!"

Aphrodite pushed her heavy-set son out of the way and quickly broke the arrow that was lodged in Gareth's chest in two.

"Feel the love," she said in her sweetest voice while waving her hand over Gareth's heart.

Immediately the bit that was stuck in his chest disappeared along with his wound.

"He'll be fine now. Look," the blonde goddess said.

Everyone bundled closer and examined Gareth's face intently. His face was extremely flushed. A second later his eyes flew open. He looked from one person in the room to the next, finally stopping when his gaze fell on Herry.

"How're you feeling buddy?" Jay asked.

"Amazing," Gareth sighed without looking away from Herry. A sappy expression of purest adoration had come onto his face.

"Uh-oh, I'd forgotten about this side effect…" Aphrodite said quickly.

Jay didn't have time to ask what Aphrodite meant for Gareth promptly caused a great deal of chaos to erupt around him. In one swift motion the blonde haired boy had launched himself off the bed and into a startled Herry's lap. His arms locked around Herry's chest in a vice-like grip and pulled him into a heated embrace.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Herry-bear," he squealed in a horrifyingly sweet voice.

"Herry-bear?" Atlanta mouthed to Archie who was quite literally rolling around on the floor with laughter.

"Miss Aphrodite?" Jay said.

"Oh drat. I should've known this would happen."

"What? What's going on with Gareth?" Jay asked.

"I think he's under the influence of that arrow. I made his body absorb the part that was stuck in him, so he could heal quickly. Unfortunately, that meant he got a huge dose of Love in the process. I didn't have time to magically direct it onto anyone else so…"

"Are you telling me Gareth's gonna be stuck like this for the rest of his life?" Jay asked in horror.

"No, the effects ought to wear off soon, I bet my gorgeously formed hips that he'll be back to normal by tonight."

"Good. Then we only need to keep him out of trouble till then," Jay said, already working on a plan to keep Gareth's amorous attentions at bay.

"Gareth, you can let go now," Herry said, standing up.

Gareth, however, didn't plan on letting go anytime soon and ended up dangling from the taller boy's neck like a bizarre kind of necklace. Herry did not want to struggle too much with Gareth, for fear of hurting him. Thus he was left to stand there with an ever increasing blush.

"You better fix this soon, Jay," Neil said offhandedly. "I don't think Medelia's gonna like Herry's new accessory…"

* * *

Atlanta had heard the phrase 'drunk with love' before, but this was absolutely ridiculous. In the course of one chaotic morning Gareth had gone from shy and sweet to hormonal and Herry-obsessed… At least, more Herry-obsessed than he already was.

The strange thing was that even Theresa seemed to be freaked out by this crazy new turn of events. Atlanta had been sure that Theresa would, given her past interference, support Gareth in his newfound recklessness. As it was, things were turning out exactly the opposite. Theresa frequently ran interference between Gareth and Herry and spent a considerable part of her morning keeping him out of trouble.

This was much easier said than done though. Gareth, who usually came off as somewhat studious, couldn't be bothered with something as trivial as paying attention in class since his eyes were so firmly locked on the back of Herry's head. The dreamy gaze in his love-glazed eyes didn't fail to catch the attention of each and every one of his classmates. From the disgusted glares of Daren Manson and the smug smile of Medelia right to Sunehri and Rosalie's confused frowns; the full range of emotional reactions were there. Everybody's thoughts were clearly readable, even for a non-psychic like Atlanta. Was he drunk? Has he finally gone nuts? Maybe he just has a severe head cold… All these questions and more seemed to float around in Gareth's wake.

Thus it was a relief when Gareth, upon being sent to the principal's office for the third time that morning was sent home. The excuse that Athena gave when she fetched him from the office was that he was hopped-up on flu medication. This didn't seem to go over well, however, since Gareth chose that moment to sneak off and spy on Herry while he was in the middle of his Auto Mechanics class.

All in all it was a rather haggard looking group of heroes that ended up around the lunch table. Both Archie and Neil were developing ulcers from laughter and interspersed each bite of food with a hysteric giggle. Theresa, Jay and Atlanta in turn just sat tiredly and prayed that the day would end. Running after a super-powered teen with raging hormones all morning had taken its toll. Odie chose to spend his lunch behind his laptop, trying to find an early solution to Gareth's hormonal conundrum.

"Don't you ever get tired of hiding behind that laptop?" an annoying female voice asked. "The constant tapping of keys is really becoming irritating."

Odie looked up from the screen into the blue eyes of Medelia. She was, for once, sitting next to Herry during lunch. Her reasons, however, could not have been clearer, for she spent all her time on flirting with Jay and ignoring Herry. Atlanta had to suppress the sudden urge to smash Medelia's face into the floor. Her flirtation with Jay was bad enough, without her having to criticize the others every few minutes.

"I'm sorry," Odie said without really meaning it. "But I have a lot of research to do."

Medelia simply rolled her eyes and got right back to wafting her pheromones in Jay's direction. He did his best to be polite while at the same time ignoring Medelia's advances, but was finding it increasingly difficult not to blush at her ever increasing provocative behavior. Medelia's hormones were the least of their worries, though, for another walking bundle of hormones, in the form of Gareth, chose that exact moment to arrive at their table.

"What are you doing here?" Theresa asked Gareth with ever widening eyes.

"Oh, I got bored and decided to sneak out. I don't know why I was sent home in the first place. I feel great!" Gareth said happily.

His gaze shifted to Herry and Medelia whose shoulders were touching as they looked back at him. With a friendly smile at Herry he placed his tray on the table and squeezed in between the couple; pushing Medelia off her chair in the process.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed from her spot on the floor.

"You were sitting in my spot," Gareth said simply and promptly began chewing on a slice of pizza.

Herry quickly moved to Medelia's side and helped her to her feet.

With a mumbled thanks in Herry's direction Medelia sped to the exit of the cafeteria; her every move radiating voluminous amounts of hate.

"Huh… more space for us," Gareth said happily. He took another bite of his pizza and turned to Herry. "So, does this mean you're not going to the dance with her anymore?"

The hope in Gareth's eyes was horribly clear.

* * *

It was an hour before the dance was to start and Theresa was banging on Gareth's door. The effects of his love-intoxication had mostly worn off after the fiasco at lunch, at which point Gareth had screamed in horror and run away from Herry as fast as his two feet could carry him. He'd been locked up in his room ever since.

"Come on, Gareth! You can't skip the dance," Theresa pleaded to the wooden door.

"Yes, I can," came Gareth's muffled reply. "Watch me."

"You're really over-reacting, Gareth. It's not that bad. I'm sure Herry understands that you didn't mean to be so… romantic."

"It was that bad! I flirted with him every chance I got, indirectly suggested that he dump Medelia and hung from his neck like a human scarf. I called him 'Herry-bear' for goodness' sake!"

Theresa was quiet for a few moments. So maybe it was as bad as Gareth imagined it, but that didn't mean he could avoid Herry forever. Besides, for all the embarrassment it caused him he at least got the chance to flirt a little. Goodness knows he needed the practice…

"What if I promised to be close by whenever Herry was near? I could even run interference till you're ready to face him," Theresa suggested.

There was a moment of silence in Gareth's room. Theresa could practically hear the cogs in his mind turning. The door opened the tiniest fraction of an inch. Gareth's eye scanned the hall before resting on Theresa.

"On one condition," he said. "I get to ride with you and Jay to the dance."

Theresa immediately nodded her agreement. She was more than willing to sacrifice a little alone-time with Jay to get Gareth out of his room.

Gareth opened his door to reveal that he was already dressed for the dance. The black jeans and white T-shirt he wore accentuated the new, leaner form that his body was taking on from all the training with Ares. Theresa had to admit that Gareth looked strikingly good. She secretly hoped he would dress like this more often. It would definitely help him to attract some attention.

"Looking good!" Theresa praised, causing Gareth to blush. "Why are you dressed for the dance if you didn't want to go? Or did some of Atlanta's super-speed rub off on you?"

Gareth smiled shyly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Thanks. Actually, I didn't really want to stay home tonight, so I got dressed anyway. I guess I just needed someone to coax me out of my room."

"Glad to have helped," Theresa said. "Now lets go show Herry what he's been missing. Just joking, just joking!" she added quickly while barring a fleeing Gareth's way to his room.

Theresa managed to get Gareth to her car without incident. That was as far as they could get, however, for Herry's truck was parked in front of the garage, blocking Theresa's exit. She instinctively sensed the lick of fear that burst into Gareth when they stopped in front of Herry's truck. This fear became full-blown panic when the owner of said truck came walking in their direction.

Herry froze immediately upon catching sight of Gareth. His eyes scanned the blonde haired boy for the tiniest fraction of a second before jumping back to his face.

"Uh… hey there. You look… nice," Herry said uncomfortably. He didn't quite meet Gareth's gaze.

"Thanks. You look fanta- nice too," Gareth said, stumbling over his words.

Theresa had to agree. Herry sure did clean up nicely. He had traded his usual cargo pants and green shirt for a pair of dark blue jeans and a black button shirt. Over all the effect was highly impressive, and, even in his shame, Theresa could see Gareth's appreciative stare.

"So, are you going to pick up Medelia or meet her at the school?" Theresa asked to break the silence that was threatening to descend on them.

"She's already here," Herry said with a rather awkward smile. "She said something about powder and her nose and ran into the house."

The warning system in Theresa's mind was on instant red alert. Girls, like Medelia always made sure to get their make-up ready before they went out. The only reason she could have wanted to go into the Brownstone was to get a little closer to Jay. Theresa spun on her heel and immediately ran toward the back door of the Brownstone. She could practically feel Gareth's panic at being left alone with Herry. He would have to manage on his own, though, because keeping Jay out of Medelia's claws took priority over everything else.

* * *

Lilith exhaled a sigh of purest content as she sank back into the silk sheets on her boat-sized bed. Her private chambers looked like a bizarre mixture of a maharaja's harem and a dungeon. The Middle Eastern theme of the heavy curtains and her bed were topped off with heavy chains and torches hanging from the stone walls.

She never used her private chambers for sleep though… One of the benefits of being undead was that she never had to rest. Thus she had plenty of time to…relax while her plans were set in motion.

She pushed down on the shoulders of one of the many minions on her bed and it moved lower, caressing the spot around her naval with its lips. She sank back deeper into the sheets and let her powerful mind go over the plan for what was most certainly the millionth time.

Steal Sybaris' vampiric powers: check. Break into the Brownstone: check. Forge the bond with the blonde: check. Locate and steal the object: almost check.

Lilith breathed deeply and arched her back in ecstasy, beads of sweat forming on her perfect skin. For the time being her plans were lost in the heated rapture that shook her entire body.

Still, the final part of her short-term plan would not be forgotten for long; for she was just one step away from her ultimate goal. She had only one more item to cross off her list. Completely destroy Gareth Stuart: little less than three weeks to go and…check.

* * *

**Thanks for reading folks! Hope you enjoyed it. The second part of 'Crushed Roses' will be up in a few hours' time. **

**Till then, please take the time to make this hard-working writer's day magical and leave me a review. I'd be ever so thankful! **

**May your day be incredibly awesome!**


	13. Crushed Roses Part 2

**Hey there dudes and dudettes! As promised I am delivering the thirteenth chapter of 'Rising in the Dark' for your literary pleasure.**

**I reiterate: My reviewers ROCK and so do tinianiatt, my beta.**

**Without further ado, here is chappie thirteen! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

All things considered, the evening started off rather well. Theresa had managed to find Jay and sneak him out of the house before Medelia could corner them. Then she, Jay and a very nervous looking Gareth sped off to the school. She didn't want to ask him what happened while he was alone with Herry for fear of embarrassing him in front of Jay. But from the little she could read on his face she could tell that it must have been very awkward for them to be alone together. She made a mental note to ask him for a detailed report as soon as was humanly possible.

Theresa maneuvered her car into the parking lot with the kind of speed and grace that would make a Formula One driver eat his heart out. She took a small moment to revel in Jay and Gareth's awe at her driving skills, before sliding out of the front seat. She could feel Jay's intense gaze burning on her skin as she straightened out her dark-blue skirt, and couldn't help smiling to herself. There was no denying that it felt good to be desired.

She wasn't anything like Neil, by far, but a little bit of narcissism every now and then couldn't be so bad. Thus Theresa strutted to Jay's side in the most seductively smooth manner possible; making sure that she tossed her hair over her shoulder at just the right moment to reveal more of her snug fitting top and steal what little breath he had left. She defended her actions as not being cheap, but just showing Jay exactly how good he had it. Besides, as long as Medelia was prowling after him there were no lengths Theresa wouldn't go to, to keep her man.

As expected, the gym was covered in helium filled balloon-ograms and heart-red streamers. Thin shafts of silver light beamed from the surface of an enormous disco-ball and dotted up every surface in the room. The romantic melody of a recent one-hit wonder was emanating from the DJ's sound-system and made Theresa positively itch to get Jay on the dance floor. Jay seemed to be thinking the same thing, for he held out his hand to her and smiled expectantly.

"Wanna dance?"

"Definitely," Theresa answered, her smile ever broadening.

Jay took her hand and spun her onto the near empty dance floor in a graceful twirl. She came to a rest in his arms feeling quite breathless after the sudden spin and elated to be enjoying a moment of non-dramatic teenage normalcy. For the next few minutes they just revolved slowly on the spot and waited for their hearts to stop racing. This was asking a bit much, however, since Jay's close proximity was making more things than just Theresa's heart race.

Slowly the gym filled up with more and more students until, after an hour of slow-dancing, Jay and Theresa could barely move without bumping into somebody. Somewhere in that period of time Theresa noticed Herry and Medelia entering the gym. They definitely came off as the strangest couple in the room, for one was as much in love as the other was indifferent. In fact, Herry's beaming smile contrasted so shockingly with Medelia's scowl that it was rather disturbing. For a moment Theresa lost sight of them when Jay twirled her around. She found them again quickly enough, though. Herry was now talking happily to one of his friends on the football team. He motioned to Medelia and the friend nodded appreciatively. From the way Herry pushed out his chest and held his arm around Medelia, she could tell that he was bragging about his incredible girlfriend. Theresa cringed and looked away. This was becoming too painful to watch.

When the last group of hyper-active teens finally burst through the gym doors the music stopped and a blanket of darkness fell over the inhabitants of the building. For a moment everyone stood in silent anticipation. Then, out of the darkness, came a voice that could only belong to one dreadlocked DJ.

"Ladies and gentleman," Pan's voice spoke over the microphone as a single ray of light shot into being above his head. He was standing behind his music centre, looking as cool as a cucumber with hip-hop apparel and bling to suite the occasion. "Are you ready to get down tonight?"

A chorus of cheers and 'hell-yeah's' erupted from the congregation.

"I can't hear you!" Pan shouted.

Another, even louder cheer shot up from the crowd.

Pan smiled. "Then…let's…PARTY!" he shouted his voice rising along with the crowd's till it reached a deafening crescendo that nearly lifted the very roof off the building.

Immediately the gym was filled with a multitude of strobe lights as a fast paced electro-pop hit blasted over the writhing crowd. Their cheers continued as they began pumping and grinding their bodies to the infectious beat. Pretty soon they became so enthralled by the music that it almost didn't matter who was a jock or not, or whose daddy was the richest. For the time being they were as united by the music, as only a group of teens at a school dance could be.

After a few more fast paced dances, Theresa pushed free of the crowd and seated herself on one of the many chairs that lined the walls. She was exhausted but happy. She had never seen Jay so young and alive before. Valentine's Day was definitely having a positive effect on Mr. Responsible. A group of chairs creaked under sudden weight and alerted Theresa to the fact that she wasn't alone anymore. Gareth, Sunehri and Rosalie had seated themselves next to her, all of them looking like they'd just run a marathon.

"Boo, your moves were totally buck!" Sunehri told Gareth. "I almost don't need to train you anymore."

Gareth beamed. He turned to Theresa, looking every bit like a beetroot with a smile plastered on its side.

"Are you glad I convinced you to come?" Theresa asked.

"Oh yeah, this is awesome! I actually danced! And I think I might have been good, too," he added with a bit of uncertainty.

"You were great," Rosalie assured him and got to her feet. "I'm going to get a soda. Anybody else want something to drink?"

Gareth and Theresa handed over their money and watched the sunny red-head and her Indian friend disappear in the crowd.

"So," Theresa said, turning conspiratorially to Gareth. "What happened after I left you with Herry?"

"You mean after you totally abandoned me?" Gareth said sharply. He quickly held up a placating hand when he saw Theresa's reaction. "Don't worry. Sister had to go look out for her man. I get it."

"Sister?" Theresa's right brow arched. "Sunehri and Rosalie are starting to rub off on you. You're sounding more and more like them every day. And yes, after I left you two alone."

Gareth cringed. "Well… it was really… weird. I think Herry's kinda scared of me now. I mean, I started to apologize for this morning and he ended up accepting my apology before I could even finish. And then he went all silent and became very interested in the cars that were passing by. He didn't even say anything when Archie and Atlanta came by and joked about me calling him Herry-bear. Now, I know he's-

"Sorry to interrupt, but where the heck did you come up with Herry-bear?" Theresa interjected, barely keeping her giggle under control.

Gareth turned a most awesome shade of red. "Well- uh- he's kinda big and… huggable and uh-"

Gareth was saved from further explaining himself, by the timely return of Sunehri and Rosalie. Something was wrong, though, for both girls had pronounced scowls on their faces.

"Ugh! Whoremone alert!" Rosalie growled angrily and put the sodas on the chair next to Gareth. Her eyes were locked on someone in the crowd.

"Girl," Sunehri said, turning to Theresa. "You'd better get onto that dance floor fast. That Medelia-girl is quite literally throwing herself at your man."

Theresa felt herself turning, as if in slow-motion, to where she knew Jay must be. He was to the far left of the room and seemed to be edging away from a blonde girl who was lasciviously winding her hips in the region of his crotch. A dark rage crept from the corners of Theresa's mind and seemed to mute all the sound around her. Her eyes seemed to zone in on the lusty blonde and threatened to incinerate her at any given moment. She started across the floor, but came to a sudden halt when she felt a hand on her arm. It was Gareth. Behind him she could see Sunehri and Rosalie approaching.

"Theresa now is not the time to go into Dark Phoenix, aura-of-doom mode," he whispered urgently. Theresa looked at him in confusion. He motioned to his eyes. "You're eyes are glowing purple," he whispered the last two words while leaning closer.

The shocking realization that, for a moment, she had let her aura get out of control hit Theresa. She shook her head to collect her thoughts. "Thanks for the warning," she said. "I'll be able to keep my cool…for now."

And with that she promptly turned back to the task at hand and marched across the dance floor. At that point in time she didn't realize that she was bumping into people as she went, she just wanted to get to Jay and Medelia as soon as possible. Her mind was made up. Things had gone too far this time. She would put a stop to this ridiculous charade once and for all.

"What do you think you're doing?" Theresa hissed angrily and pulled the, still dancing, blonde away from Jay.

The gym suddenly fell silent as all around them the dancing figures turned to see what was happening. A large ring of spectators had formed around the two girls. Meanwhile, Gareth, Rosalie and Sunehri stood frozen in no-man's land between the threesome and the spectators. They might as well not have existed, though, for neither Theresa nor Medelia could focus on anything else but their intense loathing for each other.

"I'm dancing," Medelia replied angrily. "What's your problem?"

"My problem is that you're throwing yourself at my boyfriend!" Theresa cried in exasperation. "Don't act like you don't know what this is all about."

"Ladies-" Jay tried to interject, but was quickly cut off by both girls.

"Not now, Jay!" they said in unison.

Jay recoiled as if stung by a bee. All around them a murmur of whispering had broken out. There was no denying that this would be a juicy new event for the gossip-mill.

Theresa's eyes seemed to widen with anger as she turned on Medelia. "Don't you dare tell my boyfriend what to do!" She stepped closer to Medelia, all the while rubbing her fists threateningly. "Go back to your own boyfriend and leave mine alone."

"You don't deserve him," Medelia spat out.

"Neither do you."

"So you don't deny that he's too good for you?" Medelia asked without expecting an answer. She stepped closer to Theresa in way that was almost predatory. There was no denying that these two girls had gone from kittens to saber-toothed tigresses. "At least I can give him something a prissy little princess like you can't," she said and swerved her hips in a way that left little to the imagination.

Theresa's hand shot out so suddenly that everyone was caught off guard. The loud smacking noise echoed evilly through the room. Theresa lifted her hand to strike again, but was stopped by Jay and Gareth who gently, but firmly, restrained her.

"This game of yours has to stop, Medelia," Jay said firmly, while keeping a firm grip on Theresa's arm. "You can't keep messing up the lives of the people around you."

"Then leave that preppy little brat and be with me," Medelia begged without blushing. "I'm so much better for you than she is."

"No you're not. Theresa is and will _always_ be the only girl for me. I do not want to be with you in any kind of relationship Medelia. And won't pretend to like you anymore either. Not even for Herry's sake."

Medelia's lower lip began to tremble. She swallowed at a lump that was seemingly forming in her throat and reached out to Jay. He pulled away before she could touch him.

"You can't mean that," she said in a teary voice.

"Yes, I can. I can't be friends with someone who is willing to use others for personal gain. And you've been using Herry for a very long time, now. What makes you think I can be friends with, let alone date, you?" Jay asked in a weary voice.

Even as he said it, it was plainly clear that Jay felt uncomfortable with saying these harsh things. His inner kind nature was quite obviously struggling against the fact that he had no choice but to be hard on Medelia. It was either that or risk losing Theresa, and that was something he would definitely never be prepared to do.

A hard silence had fallen in their midst and Medelia seemed to be unable to enunciate anything at all. She looked around her as if noticing the whispering crowd for the first time.

"I'm sorry Medelia, but this ends now. At least, try to make things work with Herry. He's a good guy. He doesn't deserve to be strung along."

Medelia's face turned to stone with such smooth grace that it took everyone's breath away. Gone were the threatening tears and the trembling lips, and in their place hung a mask of numbing anger.

"That's your choice?" Medelia asked in a monotonous tone that just barely concealed something more. Jay simply nodded his head in the affirmative. Medelia came closer by a mere inch, but the closer heat of her eyes was deadly. "You just made a big mistake," she hissed venomously.

Nothing but the sound of whispering voices seemed to puncture the moment. All around them the curious crowd leaned in closer, for no one but the three in the centre of the ring had heard Medelia's threat.

"Hey what did I miss? Why isn't anybody dancing?" a dreadfully familiar voice asked.

Every single person in the room turned as one to look at the dark haired boy that had made his way to the edge of the circle.

"Oh no," whispered Gareth from behind Theresa.

She could hear from the sound of his voice that Gareth could feel the sudden change in atmosphere just as clearly as she did; even without a sixth sense. How much of the fight had Herry heard? Or had he missed it all? It definitely seemed that way.

Herry crossed the horrible emptiness that was the no-man's land between the circle and Medelia. His eyes looked uncomfortably from side to side, but he did not stop till he had reached her.

"What's going here?" he asked Medelia. She apparently didn't have any words left, for she just stared at him with a mixture of anger and irritation. Herry seemed to be confused by her expression and decided to drop the subject. "Anyway, uh… I got you you're Coke and…this."

And to Theresa's horror Herry pulled a crimson rose from behind his back and held it out to Medelia. At that moment Theresa didn't know what was sadder, the fact that now Herry was the only person in the school who didn't know that Medelia was using him, or the fact that he was making such a beautiful gesture to someone so terribly undeserving. His boyish nervousness shone like a lantern in the dark and made the macabre scene even worse.

"I never really asked you to be my Valentine properly, so I guess I'll just do it in front of the entire school." Herry was seemingly under the impression that Medelia would find a public display of his affection romantic.

For a moment Theresa hoped beyond hope that things would turn out okay, but Medelia quickly dashed all chances for a happy ending. She glared at the rose in his hand and lithely slipped past him. Herry, however, didn't seem to understand what was going on and gently grabbed hold of Medelia's arm.

"What's wrong Medelia? Did somebody upset you?" he asked in concern.

From the rigidness of Medelia's posture it was quite clear that her levels of irritation had just shot through the roof. She turned to Herry with the kind of anger that seemed to freeze the particles of air around her.

"Yes actually, they did. Your stupid best friend thinks he's better off with that red-headed cow." Medelia motioned to both Jay and Theresa in turn.

A collective intake of breath went through the crowd. Herry looked at Jay with a mixture of confusion and fear. Somewhere in the back of his mind a piece of the puzzle that was this Love-Pentagon, must have fallen in place. And the picture it was starting to paint was quite obviously terrifying.

"I don't… understand," Herry said slowly.

Medelia sighed exasperatedly. "Oh, for god's sake. I knew you were dumb, but at least try to keep up. Everyone else in the school gets it. Let me break it down for you slowly, so you understand," she said, her voice mimicking that of a kindergarten teacher talking to a five-year-old. "I don't want to be with you. I never have and I never will. Got it?"

Herry's mouth opened and closed like a fish on dry land, gasping for air. His arms seemed to have gone limp, hanging lifelessly at his sides. Had he looked around the gym at that moment he would have noticed the pity in the eyes of the people surrounding him.

Herry moved a little closer to Medelia with a glint of desperation glistening in his eyes.

"But I-"

_Don't say it_,_ don't say it_, Theresa thought. _Please Herry, don't say it_.

"I love you," he finished and held the rose out to her once more.

"Well I don't love you," she replied coldly. She looked down on the flower in disgust. "Get it into your incredibly thick skull; _I don't want to be with you_. Can't you see that I've just been using you to get closer to Jay?"

The hand that held the rose fell hopelessly to Herry's side. A single petal slipped from the bud and drifted to the ground like a crimson teardrop. Medelia smiled when she saw that the message had finally sunk in.

"Trust me, its better this way. Now you can find yourself a girl that's more in your league," Medelia said and turned away from him. She looked back over her shoulder as she approached the exit. "Since when did someone like you have a chance with a girl like me anyway?"

And then she was gone; leaving only an empty void of pain in her wake. Herry seemed to be in a daze. He looked around at the crowd in terror, searching every face for a sign that this was all just a joke or that he was having a nightmare. His hope fell to the ground with the rose and was left behind as he stumbled out of the room.

A cacophony of angry hisses and growls erupted the moment the gym doors swung shut. No one could quite believe what Medelia had said and done. Rosalie and Sunehri pushed their way through the crowd to reach Theresa.

"Are you okay?" Rosalie asked someone behind Theresa.

It was only at that moment that she realized that Gareth wasn't holding on to her arm anymore. He was now the one being restrained by Jay. Theresa could see that the inky blackness of anger had returned to his eyes and spread to the veins on his face. The murderous glare on his face was more terrible than Theresa had ever thought him capable of.

Sunehri gasped. "Gareth, your eyes-"

Theresa desperately looked around for help. Things were spiraling dangerously out of control. She caught sight of Archie and Atlanta just before they disappeared through the gym doors. No doubt, they had a few things in mind for Medelia.

"Jay, you have to go stop Archie and Atlanta. I think they're going after Medelia."

"I kind of have my hands full at the moment," Jay gasped while pulling at Gareth's arms with all his strength.

"Don't worry, we'll keep him out of trouble," Sunehri said.

She and Rosalie promptly grabbed hold of Gareth's arms. Theresa nodded in the direction of the doors and without another word Jay was running away from them.

It took them a long time to get Gareth calm and into Theresa's convertible. He seemed to be quite beside himself with rage. More than once he tried to break away and go after Medelia. Thankfully, Rosalie and Sunehri had built up considerable strength with their dancing and were able to keep him restrained. In the end he resigned himself to being strapped in the front seat while glaring the windshield to pieces.

"Thanks for the help. I'll take it from here," Theresa said to the two girls.

"No problem," Sunehri replied; a little out of breath. "Are you sure Gareth's okay, though? His eyes-"

"Um… that's nothing," Theresa said quickly. "He- uh- has a bit of an eye condition. It's quite common actually. Nothing to worry about."

"Okay," Sunehri said doubtfully. "Bye."

Theresa didn't waste any more time in the parking lot. She had to get Gareth home as soon as possible; for fear that he might lose control again. Theresa herself didn't feel all that calm either. Medelia's actions that night was so incredibly heartless that she was having trouble with the idea of not going after her herself. To make matters worse, they now had a new problem to worry about. Sunehri had seen Gareth's eyes. What's worse, Theresa could sense that she and Rosalie were suspicious about them. How much did they suspect? How close were they to finding out the Titans' secret? Theresa looked in her rear-view mirror to see Sunehri whispering something conspiratorially in Rosalie's ear.

They were most definitely too close for comfort.

* * *

The metallic clank of metal on metal drifted down the stairs when Jay, Archie and Atlanta finally entered the kitchen. Gareth could see that they all seemed to be a bit worse for wear, especially Jay.

"How long has he been at it?" Jay asked, motioning to the ceiling with his eyes.

"Ever since we got here," Odie said from his spot at the kitchen table. "We've been sitting here the whole time, waiting for you. Theresa didn't really think we should bother him just yet."

Jay looked at Theresa, seemingly passing on a silent message. "We're gonna have to speak to him sooner or later. Better to get it over with now."

Immediately Gareth stepped away from the wall, against which he had been leaning like a statue, and walked in the direction of the stairs.

"Maybe… you shouldn't go with us," Theresa said awkwardly. "You're still not really in control of your anger. You might say something about…"

Theresa's sentence trailed off, because, for the first time in his life, Gareth had ignored her. He turned away from her and started to ascend the stairs. Theresa and the rest of the team quickly rushed after Gareth. It would be better to, at least, keep Gareth from being alone with Herry.

The clanking sounds became louder and louder as they approached Herry's door. They could also hear loud grunts of exertion slipping from the boy's mouth. Gareth waited for the others to join him, before opening the door and stepping across the dark threshold. The lights were out, but Herry was clearly visible as he performed seemingly countless bench-presses. Theresa flicked the light switch, immediately flooding the room in harsh light. For a moment Herry paused and squinted painfully, before resuming his activities. Beads of sweat made angry, dark patches on his blue exercise shirt. He stared at the ceiling without blinking, seemingly still in shock from what had happened.

"Herry?" Jay said cautiously as he stepped closer. "Herry, buddy are you okay?"

Herry paused for a moment and looked at them. The traces of shock had still not left his eyes. He was most definitely not okay.

"You know that we're always here for you. You know… if you need to-" Jay paused to follow the rhythmic movement of Herry's arms, probably wondering if he was taking in a single word that was being said. "-talk."

"Thanks," Herry said in an unnaturally deep voice.

"_Do_ you want to talk about it?" Jay asked. He was trying his best to get some kind of normal reaction from Herry.

"Not really."

Jay took a step back. "We'll go then. Just remember, we're here if you need us."

Herry gave no sign that he had heard Jay. Thus the leader and his group quickly backed out of the door. All except for Gareth, that is. He remained frozen on his spot beside Herry's bed.

"Come on, Gareth," Jay said sharply.

Once again Gareth decided to act against his nature and ignored Jay's command to leave.

"Give me a minute," he said and turned back to Herry.

After a few seconds of stony silence from Jay the door finally clicked shut, sealing the two boys in the room.

"What do you want, Gareth?" Herry asked.

"I want you to talk to me. You need to talk to somebody if you want to feel better."

Herry paused. "And you think you're the one I want to talk to?"

"Herry, I-"

"Not now, Gareth. Please. I can't talk about dating stuff right now. And after everything that happened today, I definitely can't talk to you about it."

Gareth took a moment to take in Herry's words. This was the first time that he had ever made reference to the fact that Gareth felt something more for him than the others. Albeit, in a very indirect manner. Gareth realized that what Herry needed now, more than anything else, was a friend. Not a love-sick teammate.

He held up his arms as if surrendering. "I'm strictly here as a friend. No strings attached. In fact," Gareth plopped down on the floor and crossed his legs, "I won't even talk. You can just tell me how you feel and I'll listen."

Herry gave Gareth a weary, sidelong glance. He sighed, placed the barbell back on the rack and sat up to face Gareth.

"Okay. So, I wanna know something. How long have you guys known that Mede- that she was…. you know… that she wanted Jay."

Gareth felt a thrill of discomfort. Answering this question might very well upset Herry. But not answering it would also be answer enough. Thus he had no choice.

"Since that first time she came over for dinner. You know, when I threw my grape juice all over her." The words were out before he could stop himself. Gareth had just accidentally told Herry that the grape juice incident was no accident; something which he had believed for a very long time.

Herry stared Gareth down for a second while digesting the news. He seemed to be under considerable strain to remain calm.

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't know how! You were so crazy about her that we didn't want to hurt you. Jay also kinda hoped that she'd smarten up and see what a great guy you are. Besides, would you have believed us if we had told you?"

Herry seemed to accept the fact that he would have fought to defend Medelia's honor and that they couldn't say anything, and moved on.

"And Jay…"

"Did everything he could to stay away from her. He'd never do anything to hurt you. I can testify to that. I was there at the Christmas party when he told her that he didn't want to be with her and he told her the same thing again tonight."

Herry closed his eyes for a second while taking in another bit of evidence about Medelia's infidelity and moved on once again.

"So she really didn't… ever like me."

"I'm sorry, but no," Gareth whispered sadly.

For a moment all was silent between them. Gareth got the sense that Herry wanted to ask him more, but was struggling with the words. More than once Herry opened his mouth to speak, only to close it the very next moment. Gareth knew that now was the time to be patient. Herry needed to emote at a pace that suited him.

"Gareth. I'm gonna ask you something," Herry said. "But you have to swear to tell me the truth."

"I swear," Gareth said without hesitation.

Herry diverted his eyes to the floor, his elbows resting on his knees. He took another moment to deliberate before carefully verbalizing his thoughts.

"Am I really that… dumb?" At that moment he sounded like nothing more than a small child seeking reassurance from a guardian.

"No! Don't let everything that bit-" Gareth saw Herry's shoulders stiffen and immediately ceased his attack on Medelia's character. "Don't ever let anyone convince you you're dumb. Medelia said those things because she was angry and wanted to hurt you, so don't take it to heart. You are, by far, one of the bravest and kindest guys I've ever met. And even though you're no Odie, you're still amazing in your own way."

Gareth wasn't able to see Herry's face, but hoped that he had at least managed to lift the gentle giant's spirits a little bit. He did not know for how long they sat there, before he finally plucked up the courage to speak again.

"So, do you wanna go get something to eat? I know where Theresa hides the banana-nut ice cream."

"Maybe later," Herry declined.

Gareth understood. Herry didn't want to face the others yet. He scanned the room for another topic of conversation and came to rest on the many pieces of exercise equipment.

"That is some heavy barbell you've got there. I'd never be able to lift it."

The right corner of Herry's mouth lifted slightly.

"It's not that heavy."

"Yeah right! Archie'd laugh his head off if I ever told him I benched half a ton." A plan worthy of Odie shot into Gareth's mind. He worded his next few words very carefully. "Unless I told him that you helped me."

Herry stared from the weights to Gareth. After a moment's deliberation he got up and moved to stand behind the bench. Gareth took that as answer enough, and scrambled onto the bench.

"You ready?" Herry asked while hooking nothing more than his pinkies under the bar. Gareth grabbed hold and looked up determinately. "Okay, here we go."

Slowly Herry lifted the weight from its perch and let it lower down to Gareth's chest. Gareth knew that Herry was doing all the lifting; that it was all just pretence on his part. But that was all he needed to get his plan to work. All he needed to keep Herry busy and, even though he would take a long time to smile again, a little less heartbroken.

* * *

Medelia cursed angrily when she stumbled to the ground for the third time that evening. Walking home in high heels was definitely not working out well for her. Not that she'd need to walk home if she'd listened to the instincts that told her to take her own car to the dance. And she definitely wouldn't have had to walk home if the barbaric people in this stupid city were more civilized. None of her classmates lingered in the parking lot long enough for her to approach them and ask for a lift. Oh, to hell with them! She didn't need to be seen riding with a bunch of losers anyway.

She had just walked past a particularly dark alley when the sound of an empty soft-drink can being disturbed echoed into life. Medelia was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was walking through the city in the middle of the night... in the dark… alone.

She quickened her pace and turned a corner. She could hear rushed footsteps starting up behind her and went into a hurried trot. Her shoes were making it difficult to run, though. Her heart pounded harder and harder with every streetlight she passed, till finally it reached a crescendo at the next corner. She went around the corner at a near-run, only to bump into someone who was blocking the sidewalk.

A shuddered breath of relief blew from her mouth upon recognizing a familiar face. Sunehri's exotic complexion and the Middle Eastern colors of her clothing made her hard not to recognize.

"Wow. You scared me," Medelia said out of breath. "For a moment I thought someone was trying to kill me."

Medelia heard someone rounding the corner and turned to see Rosalie step into view. Her red hair seemed to be ablaze in the sharp streetlight.

"Don't worry. We won't _kill _you," Sunehri said. Her words might have assured safety, but the tone of her voice was still strikingly unpleasant.

Medelia could now see that Rosalie's handbag hung loosely from her hand. She didn't know why, but there was something very threatening about the way it swung from side to side.

"Herry's our friend," she said. "And you broke his heart."

"T- trust me. It's better this way. I d-dumped him for his own good. I didn't do anything wrong!" Medelia protested in a shaking voice.

A strained smile came onto Sunehri's face as she removed her handbag from her shoulder. She took a menacing step forward.

"We're not doing anything wrong either," she replied as she swung the handbag over her shoulder.

Medelia was barely able to squeal in fright before the handbag smashed into her face.

* * *

**And there you have it. You've reached the end of the two-parter. Hope you folks enjoyed it! I'll do my best to get chappie fourteen up soon.**

**As you can see this is the longest chapter I've written to date. Thus, I would greatly appreciate any and ALL your input. No matter how minute or unusual it may seem to you. Please review and make my day, folks.  
**

**Have a wonderful day/night! :)**


	14. Something Changes

**Hey there guys and girls! It's been AGES I know. Sorry! Real life kinda took over for a bit. I promise to do my best to get the next chappie up sooner! :)**

**As always I'd like to thank each and every one of my spectacular readers. Thank you SO much for reading. You are truly amazing. Of course, a special word of thanks go out to all my INCREDIBLE reviewers. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've smiled because of your amazing reviews.**

**I'd also like to take this moment to thank the spectacular tinianiatt! Beta-reader extraordinaire! **

**This chapter is dedicated to Elegos-Sirinial-Shamtul in honor of his seventeenth birthday!(Which has already passed)**

**Enjoy the chappie folks! :)**

* * *

The ghostly remnants of Herry's broken heart haunted every corner of the school. For Herry, although not as respected as Jay or as worshipped as Neil, was known as one of the nicest guys in school, and his pain was everyone's pain.

Perhaps it was due to the public nature of the event, but no one was particularly neutral about the subject. The majority of the student body had become vehement Medelia-haters and took every chance they got to hiss at her angrily while sympathetically patting Herry on the back. This majority also took note of Medelia's blackened eyes and, as is always the case with such things, quickly found out who was to blame- or in this case, thank. Sunehri and Rosalie had been lifted to official 'hero' status due to the beating of Medelia and, even though they kept insisting that it wasn't an honourable act, were met with an ongoing barrage of admiration.

Then there was the minority… the cheerleaders, plastics and pretty faces that firmly stood by their queen bee. Their venomous hate for Theresa, Sunehri and Rosalie was only eclipsed by their conviction that Jay was a fool to let Medelia slip through his fingers.

Thus, with the divide between the students firmly in place and the delicious flavour of the Herry-Medelia gossip wearing off, the school year raced ever closer to its end. In fact, most of the student body had started experiencing that first uncomfortable twist of nerves that came with the realization that the final exams weren't that far in the future anymore. Odie, of course, experienced this realization most powerfully and wasted no time in trying to cram even more knowledge into his already hyper-sized brain. The surest sign that the end of school was approaching, however, came from the girls in the school. For someone had dared to whisper the word 'Prom' and set in motion a dress-finding frenzy of apocalyptic proportions.

"So what colours are you going for?" was Theresa's not-so-surprising question to Atlanta when the dress-frenzy was reaching an all time high. "What about pink?"

Atlanta groaned. She had expected the 'dress-talk' sooner or later. She'd have preferred later…

"I'm not wearing a dress," she said firmly. "And definitely not pink. Don't you think it's a little too soon to start planning what you're going to wear that night?"

"No it's not," Theresa said in exasperation. "We should have started planning weeks ago. We can't waste any more time. And why don't you want to wear a dress?"

"Because I hate dresses. They're annoying and you can't do anything in them, except look like a stupid damsel in distress to every chauvinistic male within a ten mile radius."

"But they make you looks pretty and feminine. And there's nothing wrong with looking good for the guys."

Atlanta stared balefully at Theresa. "I can look great in pants too. Like I said all the other times you've tried to get me in a dress or skirt, a real guy will like me even if I'm wearing nothing more than a garbage bag. I'm not gonna turn into some girly-girl just to please someone else. Besides, Archie likes me just the way I am."

Theresa shrugged and resigned herself to walking back to the Brownstone with a fire of determination firmly set in her eyes. It was quite clear that she'd get Atlanta to wear a dress to the prom, even if it was the last thing she ever did in this mortal coil. Judging by the equally determined expression Atlanta had on her face, it very well might be.

They arrived home to find the spot where Herry's truck was usually parked empty. Jay's worried voice carried clearly down the hall when Theresa and Atlanta pushed through the open front door.

"-that you can't look after yourself, Herry. All I'm saying is that it's not safe for any of us to go out on our own. Not even Archie. At least let one of the Marines go along with you."

Theresa came to a halt in the front door. Jay was standing with his back turned to her. He had his PMR pressed firmly to his ear. He sighed and slowly rubbed his palm across the back of his neck.

"Herry, you should have at least told me before you left. You should have taken one of the Marines with you."

Jay gave a sudden jerk and pulled the PMR away from his ear. Theresa couldn't be sure, but she got the distinct impression that Herry was telling Jay exactly how he felt about their military babysitters. Jay's lips went into a pleasant upward curl that seemed to be quite involuntary indeed.

"Fine, just get home at a decent time, or else Athena's going to kill me. And don't get yourself killed," he added in what was obviously a failed attempt at humour.

The conversation was finished and Jay's PMR snapped shut in next to no time. He had a slight bemused expression on his face. He turned to Theresa and Atlanta, shaking his head in disbelief.

"What's up with Herry?" Atlanta asked interestedly.

"He actually managed to ditch his babysitter and sneak out of the city. He's gone to spend the day on Granny's farm."

"Well, that's not fair! Why does he get to run around when we have to stay locked up in the Brownstone? I wouldn't mind getting out too, you know," Atlanta said irritably.

Theresa and Jay's eye's met and for a moment of silence they were locked in furious communication. He nodded, causing a relieved smile to spread onto her face.

Atlanta stared at the silent exchange with increasing annoyance. Did they _really _have to do that whole 'we can speak without saying a word' thing so often? 'Cause it was really getting annoying. She sighed, stepped forward and swiftly waved her arms in the air to gain their attention.

"Mind letting me in on the secret?"

"It's nothing really," Theresa said. "It's just that this is a good sign. Herry's must want to be alone so he can clear out his thoughts. Who knows, maybe even get over Medelia once and for all."

This answer apparently wasn't what Atlanta expected, and the angry words she'd been preparing, about Herry going out being unfair, died away instantly.

"Oh. Okay. I guess it's all for the best then. Here's to Herry getting over that sow."

And without further ado Atlanta turned around and stomped up the stairs.

"You really think this trip will help?" Jay asked Theresa when Atlanta's stomping finally couldn't be heard anymore. "Little less than three weeks does seem a bit soon."

Theresa smiled knowingly. "You'd be surprised. Herry might just forget about Medelia sooner than you think. He knows better than to keep pining after her."

"Let's hope so. It's time we put this Medelia stuff behind us."

Theresa sighed in agreement. It was indeed time to get on with their lives. She could only hope that Herry would come to the same realization.

* * *

The twilight sky was ablaze with crimson and gold. The day's last feeble rays brought a sombre atmosphere to the interior of Herry's truck as it shone through the windshield. The young man took one last turn down the gravel road and crested a small hill. He took a moment to look down on the farm where he'd grown up. Everything was as he had left it. With the slight exception of a bare spot where a large apple tree once stood. The apple tree where his life had changed forever…

He forced his mind back to the present and drove the last bit of the way to his former home. Herry stepped out into the cool air only to be swallowed by the incredible silence that seemed to be mandatory for a farm in the countryside. There was something comfortingly familiar about the smell of the old barn and the animals it held.

The memories of countless days spent working in the fields led Herry over the wooden fence and across the dirt that surrounded a tall windmill.

The view from on high was even more incredible than Herry could remember. Maybe it was because this sunset was so incredibly spectacular or maybe he had just missed the farm more than he had wanted to admit to himself. Whatever the case, the sight of the last rays of sunlight caressing the valley below made his chest swell with pride. He could clearly see the fields in which he had eaten countless apples and raced around with Granny's horses. The dam in which he had splashed around as a child reflected the first appearing stars as if a large, circular mirror.

Herry took a deep breath of fresh air and spent another half an hour looking out over the ever darkening sky. Finally, it became too dark to clearly see anything and he made his way back to the barn. He slowly opened the large door and entered the warm light. It was like walking back in time. He could even see the old tire swing Granny had had installed for him. He smiled to himself, giving it a playful push. Herry revolved on the spot, finally coming to a halt when his eyes rested on a familiar four legged farm resident.

"Hey buddy," Herry said happily.

It had been ages since he had last seen Swift, Granny's prized race horse. The animal was truly majestic. His pitch black coat shimmered beautifully under the fluorescent light. Swift's tail swished playfully at seeing Herry and the horse trotted closer to the door of his stall. Herry placed his palm on the beast's head and gently rubbed it along the rich mane of hair that went down his neck. Swift's eyes momentarily closed contentedly. The horse moved forward and playfully nudged Herry's shoulder, making the young man erupt into a joyous fit of laughter.

"I missed you too," he said soothingly. "I can't take you out for a ride though. I have to go back home in a little while."

The horse snorted in what seemed a lot like indignation and once more Herry could not help but laugh. Swift hadn't lost one iota of his fiery personality. He gave Swift's head one last affectionate pet.

"I'll come and visit you soon, I promise," Herry said before leaving the barn.

He got into his truck and turned back onto the gravel road; feeling much happier than he had done when he arrived earlier that day. The peace of Granny's farm had done him good and allowed him to sort out all the troubles that had been floating around in his head.

The terrible ache that had ruled his life in the two and a half weeks since the Valentine's dance was finally gone. Sure, he still felt a little hurt about being used. And yeah, he didn't feel great about the way Medelia had dumped him either, but at least now he felt a little better. It was time to stop hoping she would take him back.

Herry stopped at the off ramp that led to the highway and waited for a freight truck to pass. He looked at the light that shone across the road and realized that he didn't need Medelia to feel happy or good about himself. He had the team, his family, to be there for him. And as long as they were there to stand with him he couldn't be happier.

Herry smiled as he turned onto the highway to begin his long journey back to New Olympia.

* * *

Jay sighed in relief when Herry finally entered the Brownstone later that evening. He had allowed the strong teen to go out to Granny's farm without realizing what a hellish fight would erupt as a result. The Commander of the Marine unit that was supposed to be guarding them had been yelling at him and Theresa for well over half an hour now. The rest of the team had heard his considerable voice carrying up the stairs and chose to remain hidden in their various rooms.

"Where the hell have you been?" the Commander roared the moment Herry closed the door. "What's the use of getting my team to protect you if you damned kids keep running off alone?"

"Sorry," Herry said lamely. "I just needed to get out of the city. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

The Commander's, already considerably red face, darkened alarmingly to an almost purple hue.

"Well, you managed it anyway! Do you have any idea how easily you could have been killed? You kids are not safe! I have half a mind to cancel tomorrow's barbecue to teach you a lesson."

Jay could see Herry's eyes widen in disbelief. He knew how much the barbecue at Granny's house meant to, not only Herry but, everyone on the team. They all needed a break from the grinding monotony of being trapped in the Brownstone's four walls. Thus, as was always the case, Jay intervened.

"That's not really necessary, is it? I'm sure Herry's really sorry for all the trouble he's caused," Jay looked pointedly at Herry who nodded his head in vigorous agreement. "And I know he won't go out without warning again."

Jay noticed the way Herry's face fell at his last statement, but chose to ignore this. Whether Herry liked it or not, they would all have to live with their overbearing military-grade babysitters and their annoying restrictions.

The Commander pinned Jay down with one of his, now infamous, glares. After a moment's deliberation he sighed and relaxed his stiff stance.

"All right, all right, you can go. But on one condition; if any one of you step out of line again-"

"We'll be locked up in the Brownstone till we're thirty," Jay finished for the Commander.

He smiled mischievously at Jay and started to move in the direction of the front door. "I'll hold you to that," he said before disappearing into the night.

The silence lasted only long enough for the door to close. Theresa wasted no time in interrogating Herry.

"Well?" she asked awkwardly. "How were things on the farm?"

Herry blushed. He leaned back against the wall and became very interested in the patterns on the carpet.

"Everything's okay…now."

Theresa gave a hopeful smile and, choosing to take the bull by the horns asked, "So the trip helped to clear your head?"

Herry blushed even more, it was quite obvious that he wasn't entirely comfortable with such in-depth discussions of his feelings.

"I'll be okay," he mumbled and walked over to the kitchen door. "Did Athena save me some dinner? I'm starving."

Jay couldn't help but chuckle at Herry's obvious attempt to change the subject. Some things never changed.

* * *

The day of the barbecue at Granny's house couldn't have been more pleasant. The sky was a bright shade of blue and the smells of flowers, wet earth and freshly mown grass cast their sweet fragrances in the air. The temperature was nice and mild, adding to the comfort of the group of people reclining on Granny's porch.

As was usual for parties at Granny's house, Zeus could be counted on to be there; ready to dazzle her with little bits of seemingly random magic. Granny seemed to enjoy his boyish attentions a lot but, alas, things quickly got out of hand when Zeus became too enthusiastic in his attempts to speed up the growth of her rose garden. What started out as a small patch of flowers here and there quickly ended up looking like a secluded glade in the Amazon.

An amused giggle behind Atlanta alerted her to the presence of Gareth and Theresa who were watching Zeus' amorous display while keeping up a constant stream of whispered gossip. Atlanta couldn't hear everything they said, but phrases like, 'Hera will kill' and 'if Zeus doesn't watch out' gave her a pretty good idea. Atlanta had to agree; Zeus was seriously tempting Hera's wrath. If he wasn't going to be more careful they would end up having a serious Olympian smack down on their hands. And if there's one thing Atlanta knew, then it was that she didn't want to be anywhere near Hera when she lost her cool.

Things seemed to calm down slightly when Herry brought out the barbecue to start cooking the meat he had been salivating over all day. In a matter of moments the group had dispersed to their own unique activities. Archie and Atlanta were hyper-actively racing around with a Frisbee while Neil basked in the rays of the sun. And while Odie was furiously concentrating on a nest of birds in the tree nearby, binoculars and opened laptop in hand, Jay was talking to Herry over at the barbecue. This left Theresa, Gareth, Zeus and Granny to talk about what could only be described as some of the most trivial subjects ever conceived.

Questions like, 'Is your accent Polish or German, Granny?' and 'Isn't Hera also your sister?' were being flung about left, right and centre.

Atlanta almost fell over her own feet from laughter as she ran by. Zeus had the most hilariously scandalised expression on his face. This moment of distraction cost Atlanta dearly. For it allowed Archie to catch her off guard, diving into her with both arms stretched wide. The combination of his momentum and her moment of awkward balance led to them falling over spectacularly. They rolled over until they were completely hidden behind one of Granny's wildly growing rose bushes.

Atlanta marvelled at how quiet it had gotten all of a sudden. She also noticed a marked change in the atmosphere, for Archie's slightly nasal laughter had died away and was replaced by his heated gaze brushing over the contours of her face.

"You planned this, didn't you?" asked Atlanta in a voice that failed to be accusatory.

Archie shrugged nonchalantly, neither confirming nor denying his supposed trickery. He shot forward suddenly, bringing his face close to hers. Atlanta could do nothing more than stare into his intensely fiery eyes and try to calm her accelerating heartbeat.

_Stupid man_, she thought to herself, _why do you always have to catch me off guard like that and make me act like a hormonal idiot_.

Archie was obviously aware of the effect he was having and swiftly closed the gap between them to plant a kiss on Atlanta's lips. For a moment she stared angrily at the boy who had the audacity to kiss her so suddenly, but soon she found her eyelids falling shut while her lips moved pleasantly along with Archie's. She'd heard of poetry in motion before, but the things Archie was capable of doing by just moving his lips were absolutely ridiculous!

A moment became minutes, and the minutes racked up to fifteen. In truth, fifteen minutes was absolutely nothing compared to what they were capable of if they really got into the heat of the moment. Alas, they could not really get too carried away since the hard ground beneath them didn't do much for the romantic atmosphere. Archie pulled away regretfully, his eyes opening to capture Atlanta's.

"You wanna go find a place where we have less chance of being caught?" he asked in a husky voice.

Atlanta nodded the affirmative. In no time, both teens had straightened up and were walking in the direction of Granny's back door. The innocent faces they were displaying to the world didn't seem to be fooling anyone. Atlanta had a sneaking suspicion that her flushed cheeks and Archie's cheeky grin had something to do with it.

Nevertheless, they pushed forward till they were safely in Granny's kitchen. Unfortunately it was already occupied by Herry, who instantly froze at their arrival with a spoonful of ice cream halfway between his mouth and the freezer. He gave a panicked twitch and looked from the spoon in his hand to the back door.

"We won't tell Granny if you don't tell anyone where we are," Archie whispered conspiratorially.

Herry simply nodded and stepped aside so they could pass. Atlanta took a moment to look back as they passed and noticed the little spatters of ice cream on the inside of the freezer. Herry sure was a messy eater.

Herry's less than savoury eating habits, however, left her mind in an instant when finally they were alone again. Archie pulled her into the nearest closet and pushed the door shut with a near silent click. The darkness that hid them between the dusty coats and fedoras was pleasantly romantic. Atlanta knew that making out in a closet was old fashioned, but there was nothing quite like kissing someone in a dark, enclosed space.

"I think it's time we finished what we started, don't you?" said Archie in a voice that was way too sexy for Atlanta's liking.

She snorted and pushed his advancing face away playfully. "What makes you think I want to? I might not have liked what we started."

Archie ducked under her hand and, placing his hands firmly on her hips, pushed her onto the floor.

"Then maybe I'll just have to show you what I can really do," he said, his lips closing in, in an almost predatory fashion.

Atlanta was pleasantly surprised. Archie was really giving it his all this time. She drove her hands through his purple hair and pulled him closer, her lips beginning to match his in ferocity. Their kiss had evolved into a competition to see who could outdo the other, but Atlanta didn't mind the fact that it was rough. After all, that was the way she liked it.

* * *

Gareth leaned back lazily and tipped his empty glass over his open mouth. The lack of liquid came as an annoying surprise and he stared from the empty glass to the back door. Granny's hawk-like eyes didn't miss this and without waiting for even a second she yelled.

"Herry! One of your friends is thirsty. Bring him some lemonade." She looked at the back door expectantly, but no reply came. "Herry? I said your little friend is thirsty! Herry? I hope you're not eating the ice cream! That is for dessert."

Gareth chuckled at the thought of a seventeen year old sneaking ice cream out of the fridge behind his Granny's back. Granny opened her mouth to; once again, call her grandson, but Gareth quickly jumped out of his seat.

"Don't worry Granny. I'll go get the lemonade."

He rushed into the house before Granny could put up a fight about her guests working unnecessarily. Besides, he felt horrible about lazing about while Herry ran around to serve everyone. Gareth trotted into the kitchen and headed for the refrigerator. He was, however, frozen in his tracks by what he saw.

Something of a mix between a snort and a hysteric giggle galloped over his lips. For Herry was bent over in front of the fridge, his extended tongue stuck to the inside of the freezer and his arms flapping as if he was a deranged chicken. Gareth's face reddened rapidly while he tried and failed to stifle his laughter. Herry heard him and immediately stopped waving his arms. He tried to turn the side of his face to Gareth, something which was extremely difficult considering the fact that the strongest muscle in his body was currently being turned into a tongue-sickle.

"Gaweth? Id dat you?" he choked out, causing Gareth's alarmingly violent fit of laughter to intensify.

"Y-yes," he managed to say between loud guffaws. "What the heck happened here?"

"I 'pilled 'ome ice cweam and twied to wick it ub. My tongue id 'tuck. Hewb me!"

Gareth was quite unable to understand most of what Herry said. The only part that seemed to make sense to him was 'Hewb me.' Well, he'd give it a shot. Gareth, having had experience with four year old cousins and freezer doors, quickly ran to the sink and started to fill a jug with hot water. He could hear Herry's frantic movements in the background and found that his eyes were filling with tears of laughter. The immensely thankful expression on Herry's face, as if Gareth was saving him from a particularly torturous fate, did nothing to subdue his joyous hysteria.

"Lean your head back," Gareth ordered, already aiming the spout at a point above Herry's tongue.

The dark haired teen complied, stretching his tongue to an even odder length than before. This time Gareth seemed more like he was coughing up all his internal organs than laughing. He ended up spilling more water over Herry's head and back than he did anywhere remotely near his tongue.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Gareth spluttered and he promptly put down the jug and removed his PMR from his pocket. "But this is the ultimate Kodak-moment. It's too good to miss."

"Whadda you doin'?" Herry choked out.

"Taking a picture," Gareth said.

His tongue absentmindedly flicked to the corner of his mouth as he held the PMR in the air with his thumbs and middle fingers.

"Gotcha!" he said in delight at the same moment a loud clicking sound came from the PMR.

"Gaweth!" Herry exclaimed. There was a pronounced frown on his brow. "Ge' me offa dis thing!"

Gareth reached for the jug of water to help free Herry. His hands were halfway there when they suddenly froze; a curious expression having appeared on his face. He looked to a point behind Herry and back at the jug. For a moment he stood quite still, deliberating whether what he wanted to do was wise. Then, having come to his decision, he moved to the back of the kitchen. He could see Herry's head stretch sideways as he took aim with the PMR.

"Whadda you doin' back dere?" Herry asked.

"Documenting this moment for p-p-posterity," Gareth was barely able to choke out his last word, for he was laughing hysterically at a joke that only he seemed to get.

Gareth aimed at Herry's bent backside and with another clicking sound he had his second picture. He leaned back and admired the latest addition to his PMR photo album. He moved the screen to the side to compare and quickly came to the conclusion that the real-life version was oh-so much better than the picture. He just _had_ to send this to Theresa!

A loud growl from Herry quickly wiped the smile from his face.

"Dat's it!" Herry said and clumsily reached for the jug. He threw the remainder of its watery contents over his head and managed to pry his tongue loose from the freezer door.

Gareth's eyes widened alarmingly when Herry started advancing on him. The expression in his eyes promised nothing pleasant… Gareth's fingers started to frantically dance over the keypad of the PMR; his finger freezing over the 'send' button when Herry suddenly leapt at him.

A muffled yelp jumped from his lips and without a moment's hesitation Gareth darted out of the kitchen with Herry hot on his heels. They raced down the hall, Herry's menacing chuckle adding more haste to Gareth's feet. He skidded through a door to the right and crawled under the dining room table, all the while keeping the PMR safely stretched out in front of him.

"I'm gonna getcha," Herry said as Gareth popped out on the other side of the table. He grinned wickedly.

Herry started to walk around the edge of the table and Gareth quickly moved around in the other direction. Herry froze and Gareth followed suit. He began moving in the opposite direction and, once again, Gareth moved to keep the table between them.

"Give me the PMR, Gareth," Herry said with a slight grin.

Gareth's eyes shifted nervously from Herry to the communication device. "Uh… I just… uh… want to do something first…"

Gareth's finger moved to press the 'send' button. This, however, was a hideous mistake on his part, for the moment's distraction allowed Herry to lunge across the table and grab hold of Gareth's shirt with both hands. The blonde boy's feet instantaneously parted with the ground as Herry brought his face close to his.

"Uh-uh," Herry said.

He held onto Gareth with one hand and reached for the PMR with the other. Gareth, however, wasn't ready to let go of his prize yet and stretched it as far away from Herry as he could. They kept stretching their arms into weirder and weirder poses till, finally, Herry lost patience and pulled Gareth over the table and pushed him to the floor. He moved to snatch the PMR but Gareth, in a move of desperation, threw the device across the room.

For a moment both froze to see the PMR land on the couch, its lid flipped open in what almost seemed like a taunt. Their eyes met for the most infinitesimal moments of time before both shot forward. Herry moved into the lead and would have reached the couch first, had it not been for the fact that Gareth dived forward and knocked him off of his feet. Gareth grabbed the PMR and leapt over the couch with a triumphant laugh.

He turned to find the room completely empty.

"Herry?" he called out. There came no reply. He paused with his finger ready to press the button and send his picture to Theresa. The air was deathly quiet. Gareth leaned closer to the couch; still he could not see any sign of Herry. "Herry?"

"Gotcha!" Herry yelled out as he jumped up in front of Gareth.

In one swift move Gareth was pulled over the couch and onto the living room floor. Both boys quickly dissolved into a mass of laughter and thrashing limbs. One moment Herry would have Gareth cornered only for him to scramble out of reach the very next. Every time Herry pulled Gareth to the floor by his ankles, arms or neck the smaller boy would twist his body and scramble out of reach.

Their tussle was fairly one sided till Gareth finally found a weakness of Herry's he could exploit. During one of his more impressive moves to evade Herry's powerful arms, Gareth accidentally prodded him in the ribs causing a panicked chuckle to roll over the brunet's lips.

Gareth paused, a wicked grin spreading over his lips. So Herry was ticklish, was he? He turned on the larger boy with his hands held out threateningly. Herry's eyes widened amusingly at realising what Gareth was about to do. He practically fell over his own feet to get away, but Gareth was too quick.

Bursts of hysteric laughter bounced off the walls as Gareth's fingers spider-crawled across Herry's upper body. Herry's belly seemed to be extra sensitive to his touch. He laughed till tears of joy obscured his sight and made every attempted retaliatory move he made off target and clumsy.

Gareth leaned ever forward in his frenzy to subdue Herry till, inevitably, he was leaning awkwardly over his adversary. Thus he was in the perfect position to be caught of guard by one of Herry's flailing limbs. He fell forward spectacularly into Herry's waiting arms. The stronger boy seized his chance with both hands and quickly spun their bodies around. Gareth had no time to process anything before he was pinned on the floor, his hands above his head with Herry kneeling over him.

The ridiculous grin on Herry's face froze. His eyes locked onto Gareth's. Gareth felt himself slowly slip into the depths of his eyes. His mind had suddenly locked onto the fact that Herry was above him and sent his heart and hormones into overdrive.

To his shock he found that Herry's ragged gasps for air mimicked his own. He was aware of the fact that something had changed; that something different and uniquely scary was happening. But even in his fear of the unknown he couldn't muster the strength to care, for the world was hazing over magnificently and the heat from Herry's body where it touched him burnt in an intoxicatingly pleasant manner.

The laws of gravity seemed to be working hand in hand with their emotions for slowly, irrevocably, Herry's body sank onto Gareth's. Herry's mouth came closer as if called by the ever quickening pace of Gareth's heart. He looked into Gareth's eyes and for a moment, as their lips nearly touched, the world was overcome by something more powerful then they were. Maybe it wasn't so bad to dream after all…

Gareth's head lifted for the merest fraction of an inch. Yet it was that fraction of an inch that broke the spell. Herry's pupils contracted and he quickly pulled his head back. It was like waking up from anaesthesia and seeing the world clearly again. A look of outright terror came onto his face.

"S-sorry," he stuttered.

"Don't be sorry," Gareth blurted out, trying desperately to rekindle the magic of the moment. He reached out to grab hold of Herry's hand. "It's okay."

Herry ripped his hand out of reach. Perhaps a little more violently than he had intended, but he didn't seem to be thinking rationally. He scrambled to his feet and moved to the door.

"I'm so sorry, Gareth. I didn't mean to-"

"Herry, really, it's okay. Its noth-" Gareth's words disappeared along with Herry, who ducked out of the room before he could even finish.

Gareth was left sitting on the living room floor, feeling lonelier than ever. The whole world had fallen apart without him even really knowing what he had done wrong. All he knew was that it had happened too soon. He had taken a chance before Herry was even properly over Medelia. And now he would pay the price. Herry would never want to be alone with him again; would never feel comfortable around him again. And he would be left hopelessly pining after Herry forevermore.

* * *

The moon took its seat in the night sky, sending the sun off to its nocturnal slumber. The city fell into its dark routines with great ease, completely unaware of what was happening above their heads. For high atop the tallest skyscraper a glass cage was being dragged into place.

Thoughts of torture and asphyxiation drifted through Lilith's mind as she watched her minions drag the box into place. She stepped closer and, leaning her body against its semi-reflective surface, caressed its glass walls. The few hours she had to wait to set her plan into motion were almost too much. She could already see the horror on Gareth's face, could already feel her climactic euphoria at ripping his life apart. This was going to be worth every moment of planning and stealthy execution…

Her pawns were now perfectly positioned and she, the back queen, was getting ready to move in for the kill. Now it was simply a matter of biding her time.

She moved from the cage and approached the edge of the building. Looking down, she could see the many twinkling lights of vehicles buzzing to their varied destinations. They were hideously pathetic in their ignorance; didn't even notice the instrument of torture being moved through the city. Didn't even care when she broke into its central communications hub to put it in place.

"Everything is as you requested mistress," a minion reported from behind her. "We await only your command."

"Take in your positions," Lilith ordered. "You shall attack when I give the command. Sister…"

"Yes Mistress?" the curvaceous red head inquired.

"Make sure you kill everyone. The more corpses we have the better."

"As you wish Mistress," she said, bowing her head.

Lilith resumed her earlier position at the edge of the rooftop and stared out at the gnats moving about below her. Her eyes zoned in on the area where she knew the Brownstone was situated.

"Only a few more hours Gareth," she sighed happily. "Then you'll finally be destroyed."

* * *

**Wow! The end of yet another chapter! This is gonna really start to pick up soon! I hope you enjoyed it folks. Feel free to drop a line and let me know what you thought. Any and ALL input will be eternally appreciated. And no, I don't mind constructive criticism. **

**Have a wonderful day/night! :)**

**Much Love**

**AT**


	15. Beginning of Many Ends

**Hey there folks! Welcome to the fifteenth chappie of 'Rising in the Dark!' **

**Since this is the fifteenth chappie I'd like to thank all the reviewers of the last five by naming them. These awesome folks are: _rubies'n'diamonds, Wings of Corrugated Irony, .Invisible-Nobody., 4evacrazy, elegos-sirinial-shamtul, tinianiatt, dazzeling diamond (LOL! :), Ellen 26, twiinklestar, Goddess95, Emilijah and the girls, alicat259 and Inflated. Thanks guys and girls!_ You are magnificent.**

**Now I'd like to thank my wonderful beta-reader, tinianiatt, for being so awesome. Thanks for everything, girl! :)**

**I'd also like to thank all my non-reviewing readers. Thanks guys! Please review! It'd make me SO happy!**

**SHAME ON YOU: We all know it, but I felt like saying it: Magentarinita's back as the devilish plagiarizer who plagiarizes. Her newest pseudonym, Arlene Aardwolf, fools no one. Please be aware that she IS NOT the author of 'Written in Stone.' I am. Nuff said.**

**Lastly (Longest A/N EVER!): Please be aware that this fic is rated 'M' for a reason people. Read on at your own (pleasurable) peril. ;)**

* * *

The heat of the night air that blew through the open window brushed his bare skin seductively. The lock on his door had turned with a satisfying click, sealing them off from the rest of the world. Somehow he was completely comfortable with the fact that he was naked. He closed the distance between them with a slow kind of confidence, his muscles tightening upon reaching his bed and the person that sat on it.

His eyes traveled hungrily over the bare person in front of him. How was it possible that he could be so lucky? Why was the single thing that had been on his mind for so long finally happening? He didn't know or care. For in front of him was the sole object of his intense desire and he would not waste another minute wishing. He was about to take what he wanted.

The bed springs sank softly beneath them as he gently pushed his love back onto the bed. He lowered himself with almost reverent ease, almost too afraid of the moment when finally flesh would meet flesh. But finally that moment came, bringing with it an intense heat and passion that he could not comprehend. He looked into the eyes of the person lying beneath him and found that he was drowning; drowning in the watery depths of eye contact that he could not bear to break.

He felt two arms circle his waist, the hands coming to rest on his lower back. They traveled up his back in the most agonizingly sensuous way; seemingly trying to burn a path across as much of his flesh as possible. Finally they came to a halt around his neck where the fingers intertwined themselves in the depths of his hair.

His already fast beating heart accelerated considerably when he felt a bare foot brush a trail across the back of his calf. He could not stop the goose bumps that erupted all over his body when he felt the legs of the person beneath him rise, only to lock around his waist with the most intoxicating kind of power imaginable. Pulling himself free would have been impossible, even if he wanted to.

Warm hands pressed down on his neck and guided their mouths together. Lust burned through his entire body as their tongues danced sensually. He could feel pearl-like drops of sweat form on his chest, making their skin slide off each other most pleasurably. His hands moved across bare flesh, coming to a rest on his love's waist. And finally, with their heated kiss pausing for the most fleeting of moments, he slid in. A barely audible grunt escaped his throat as he paused for a moment to get used to the heat that was rising from his lower body. He gave a tentative push and felt a shiver run through the body beneath him. He too could feel his legs weakening beneath the might of this powerfully pleasurable feeling. He pushed once more and knew that he was getting lost in the fuzzy haze that burnt the walls around them. Their bodies moved in sync as scents, sensations and sounds too incredible to describe drove all sanity from their minds. Ragged gasps slipped from his mouth as his pace increased. Beads of sweat ran down their intertwined bodies. His body tightened in extreme pleasure. A voice spoke up from the dark, chanting between ragged gasps; whispering a name… his name. It was at that moment of explosive pleasure, when finally he fell over the edge of their lust, that he recognized the voice. Recognized the beautiful eyes looking up at him and felt his breath catch in his throat at the sudden realization.

He woke up with a start. His tangled sheets strangled his sweaty skin. His chest heaved with labored breaths and his eyes struggled to adjust to the dark as the last hooks of his dream released him.

Well, that was… different.

* * *

Archie steeled himself for his teammates' annoying cheerfulness when he stepped into the kitchen that morning. Their rummaging through the kitchen cabinets had woken him up. The fact that they were up so early could only mean one thing, they were in a cheery mood and were preparing to go out all day. That or Jay was getting them all ready to go do some extra training. What in the world had become of the sacred art of sleeping in?

A peaceful slumber, however, disappeared from his mind the moment he entered the kitchen. For sitting around the table, staring listlessly at their food were three of the gloomiest faces he had seen in a long time. Heck, they made him look positively cheerful. Both Odie and Neil had freakishly gaunt expressions on their faces. The dark circles around their eyes spoke of a night without sleep. Herry on the other hand just looked unusually agitated. He seemed to be deep in thought, something that was, in and of itself, unusual for him, and chewed his cornflakes in a way that suggested he wasn't really enjoying them much.

"Jeez guys, could you stop being so hyper cheery," Archie said sarcastically as he plopped down into an empty chair. "Who died?"

Herry's non-committal grunt was the only sign that any one of the three had heard him. The others simply continued to chew wordlessly. Archie mumbled a few annoyed remarks and resigned himself to slouching in his chair while waiting for Atlanta to wake up.

He didn't have to wait long. By the time Odie had placed his half empty bowl of food in the kitchen sink, the rest of the team had woken up and were either enjoying some breakfast themselves or taking advantage of the fact that Neil was, for once, not hogging all the hot water.

"Are you okay Odie?" Theresa asked him in concern after she caught him staring vacantly out the window. He nodded his head mechanically. "You've been working on your computer all night again, haven't you."

Odie's head jerked oddly to the side. "Uh, yeah, I've been really… busy. Really busy…"

Odie's absentminded answer didn't do much to assuage Theresa's concern. Archie could see his worry mirrored on her face. She must have felt his eyes on her, because she gave a fleeting glance in his direction before turning her attention to Neil.

"And why are you looking so beat, Neil? Aren't you worried about the circles around your eyes?"

There was a long pause before Neil answered her. Too long a pause.

"It's nothing Aphrodite can't fix with one of her seaweed facials," he said with a brief shrug of his shoulders.

Theresa frowned in annoyance, her hand coming to a rest on her hip. She looked like she was about to launch into a serious interrogation, but before she could Jay called out to his team from the living room.

"Hey guys, could you come here for a few minutes?"

Herry sighed heavily and dumped his spoon in his bowl of cornflakes. He seemed to have resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't be able to eat any more of it. Odie and Neil trailed after him as he left the kitchen.

Atlanta, Archie and Theresa stayed behind. For a moment they exchanged meaningful looks; seemingly coming to an agreement on something.

"Am I the only one who thinks something is seriously wrong here?" Atlanta finally asked.

"Something is definitely eating them," Archie agreed. "They look like they've been kidnapped from the set of _Night of the Living Dead_."

"Theresa, you think that, maybe, Lilith's snuck into the Brownstone again? They're acting exactly like they were when she'd attacked them the first time," Atlanta noted.

"I'm not sure. Odie and Neil, maybe, but Herry seems to be different. He's, at least acting like a normal human being."

"Should we tell Jay?" Atlanta asked.

"I don't know…"

"Of course we should tell him," Archie said. "Have we ever got anything good from not telling Jay when something was up?" Both girls paused for a moment, apparently wracking their brains for an example. They must have come up blank, for they did not answer. "I didn't think so. We're telling Jay."

"Agreed."

"Please hurry up, guys," Jay called from the living room. "This is important."

Atlanta hopped from her perch on the counter, signaling for the others to follow her out of the kitchen. Gareth caught up to them in the hallway, having just gotten dressed. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower.

"What did I miss?" he asked.

"We'll tell you later," Atlanta said and playfully ruffled his hair.

After they had seated themselves on the various surfaces of the living room, in Atlanta's case the armrest of the couch and in Gareth's cross legged on the floor, Jay stepped forward. He had a DVD in his hands.

"You're not going to believe this," he said, "but the mayor himself had this message delivered this morning."

"The Mayor? Really?" Theresa asked in surprise. "What do you think he wants with us?"

Archie snorted. Dumb blondes he could tolerate, after all he shared a house with Neil, but did Theresa really have to follow his example? Wasn't she supposed to be intuitive or something?

"Come on, Theresa! He's probably just sending us a warning to stop getting into trouble, or else. Having marines guard us around the clock can't be cheap. Besides, we're surrounded by gods every single day. What's the big deal with getting a DVD from 'the Mayor'?" The fact that Archie was mocking Theresa as he air-quoted his last words could not be missed.

Theresa's nose wrinkled as she glared daggers at him. "Does everything have to be negative with you? Did you ever think that maybe-"

"Guys! Calm down," Jay interjected hastily. "Let's just drop the fight and see what this is all about, okay?"

Both Archie and Theresa simmered down under Jay's gentle, but commanding, stare. He turned and placed the DVD in the machine. He moved to press the play button at the same time that Theresa turned to Archie. He had expected her to retaliate and ducked out of the way of a flying pillow with great ease.

"Missed me," he mouthed.

It was quite unfortunate that Archie had forgotten about Theresa's telekinetic abilities, for he did not expect the pillow to come flying from behind and slam into the back of his head. Theresa flashed a victorious grin and turned her attention back to the television screen.

Archie squinted in annoyance and, after stealthily picking up the pillow from the floor, took aim squarely at the back of Theresa's head. Once again all the luck in the room seemed to be with everyone but Archie, for Jay chose that moment to turn around freezing Archie mid-action with his eyes.

Archie was sure that, if he had the ability to look at himself, he'd describe his expression as 'hilariously shocked' or 'unpleasantly surprised'.

"She started it," he exclaimed, without lowering his arm.

"Yeah," Jay said skeptically before grabbing the pillow from Archie's hand and taking a seat next to Theresa. "Sure."

Theresa turned to Archie, when Jay's back was turned, and flashed another victorious grin. She might as well have been sticking her tongue out like a four year old. Archie grumbled and sank bank into the pillows of the couch. He'd get back at her somehow. He always did.

There was no time for contemplating revenge, though, since the mayoral seal had just flashed on the television screen calling them all to attention. The image changed to that of an aged looking man sitting in a well furnished office. He wore a grey suit with a white button shirt and suspenders. An old, gray hat, not unlike the kind detectives usually wear in noire films, lay beside him on the table. The old man smiled jubilantly once he realized that he was being filmed, causing the extensive laugh lines beside his eyes to crinkle up pleasantly.

"Hello there kids. I am Mayor Wilfred," he said in a voice that sounded more like it belonged to a Grandpa than a mayor. "I can't tell you how wonderful it is to finally be speaking to you. I've been following your heroic careers with great interest."

Each and every inhabitant in the room sat up a little straighter at this. Archie could see the proud expression on Jay's face.

"Now, I won't beat around the bush since I know your time is valuable. I'm sending you this invitation to the first annual New Olympia horse races. I know you kids have been cooped up in that Brownstone for a very long time and I thought you'd enjoy spending some time in my private viewing box at the race track. Don't worry; there will be plenty of food and drink for you kids to enjoy so it won't be a complete loss."

The mayor smiled jovially, his light brown eyes radiating warmth. He really seemed a lot more like a doting grandfather than the man who ran the entire city.

"You might actually see some familiar faces there too. You see, young Herry's grandmother has entered her race horse, Swift, into the competition. What a lovely woman. Such fire and spirit," the mayor looked down slightly; there was an awed expression on his face. It took him a few moments to realize that the camera was still rolling. He snapped back into form and looked at the camera. "But, I digress. We'll have plenty of time to chat once you're all there. I'll have the commander and his marines escort you. One more thing, I look forward to speaking to you in particular, young Odie. I hear you're a smart lad. I might even be able to wangle you a summer job at the city's Central Communications Tower. That'll look mighty impressive on a CV."

The Mayor winked conspiratorially and a moment later the screen reverted to black. It could not have been clearer that the Mayor's invitation had caused quite a stir among the teens. The idea that they would be escaping the Brownstone for the second time in two days was almost too good to be true.

"When do the races start?" Atlanta asked.

"According to this card… whoa," Jay paused as he looked at the invitation. "It starts in less than two hours. Get moving people. We have to get hurry if we want to get to the race track on time."

Atlanta and Gareth sped up the stairs like a couple of stampeding buffalo's with Odie and Neil trailing in their wake. Jay turned off the television and headed for the stairs at a leisurely pace, but paused when he caught sight of Archie. The purple haired youth had the most serious expression imaginable on his face… Well, more serious than usual at least.

"Am I missing something here?" Jay asked warily. "What's up?"

The sound of Herry clearing his throat stopped Archie before he could answer. The room at large turned in his direction, intensifying his already considerable blush.

"Um… Theresa? Can I talk to you about something?" Herry asked.

"Sure. What is it?" Theresa answered, making sure to mask her surprise. It was not often that Herry wanted to talk to her about something and, by the sound of it, this was something serious.

Herry edged closer to the door that led into the kitchen, an expression of supreme discomfort on his face.

"I'd rather talk to you alone," he said.

Theresa nodded and followed him out the door. She widened her eyes in surprise as she passed Jay. He simply shrugged, apparently having no more insight into the situation than she did.

"What was that all about?" Archie asked when the door clicked shut behind them.

Jay shrugged once more. "No idea. Anyway, what were you trying to tell me earlier?"

"It's about Neil and Odie. Have you seen how weird they've been acting?" To Archie's satisfaction Jay nodded the affirmative. "Okay. So you also think something weird is going on here. Atlanta thinks it might be Lilith again."

Jay's brow furrowed. He contemplatively rubbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger.

"I also thought that, but… how's it possible? With the Brownstone being guarded all the time and us being locked inside; how could Lilith get to them? There's no way we wouldn't know about it this time."

Archie sighed in frustration. "I know you all think that the marines and cameras are all brilliant, but trust me, we're not safe. Lilith may be a psycho but if she was smart enough to get in without _us_ noticing it, she's smart enough to get past some stupid government watchdogs."

Jay's right eyebrow arched. "Good point. Maybe we should cancel the trip then. It's not worth it, if Odie and Neil aren't completely okay."

"No," Archie said quickly. "The others will kill us if they find out the trip is cancelled because we're trying to be careful. Isn't there another way for us to do this?"

"Maybe… It might be better for Neil and Odie to stay behind and rest. If they're being attacked by Lilith again, that is…. Maybe we could ask the commander to keep half his marines here to guard them?" Jay sighed, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. "It won't feel right, though. We never leave a member of the team out like that, Archie. You know that."

Archie shrugged. "Your choice. All I'm saying is that it might not be such a good idea for those two to be outside if Lilith is after them again."

"We have no choice then. And it really is for their own good," Jay said, evidently trying to convince himself. "I hope you're not right, Archie. You know what it would mean if Lilith has been breaking into the Brownstone again."

"Yeah, Hera would move us out of the city immediately. It could be the end of the team."

Both of them took a moment to let that scary prospect sink in. They both had someone special to lose if the team was broken up. A life without the girls seemed unmanageable. They'd rather stay in the path of danger.

A loud, feminine squeal brought this moment of morbidity to an abrupt end. Both turned to the closed kitchen door behind which Herry and Theresa had disappeared only a few minutes ago. Archie could see that Jay's mind was going in the same direction as his; something was wrong with Theresa.

Even with his superior speed Archie couldn't beat Jay to the door. Jay rushed forward, his xiphos at the ready, expecting to find some hideous monster or, gods forbid, Lilith. He did _not _in a million years expect to find Theresa hanging from Herry's neck like Gareth had done on Valentine's Day. The sound of the door slamming against the wall caught Herry's attention. He spun to Jay and Archie, making Theresa swing wildly through the air.

"This is not what it looks like," he said in a panicky voice while holding up his hands, as if to say 'please don't shoot me'.

"Theresa?" Jay asked.

She let go of Herry's neck, a fiery blush rising on her face. She pulled at the hem of her top and straightened her hair.

"It really isn't what you think, Jay," she said. "It's just-" she paused upon seeing Herry's eyes widen in warning.

"What's going on here?" Jay asked shrewdly.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Theresa said quickly. "Now shoo! Herry and I have a lot to talk about."

She pushed Archie and Jay back out the door as Archie tried to push past her. He had to admit, he was curious.

"What's going on Herry? Why did Theresa jump you?" he grinned mischievously at the sudden look of horror his words inspired on Jay's face.

"Out!" Theresa yelled and, with one final shove, pushed them out the door and locked it behind them.

Both Jay and Archie slammed futilely into the door, then, realizing it was hopeless, the two teens leaned their backs against it and sank to the floor. Archie rested his elbows on his knees and looked over at Jay.

"I'll never understand your crazy girlfriend," he said.

"Neither will I," said Jay as another hyper charged squeal emanated from the kitchen.

* * *

Within the hour they were dressed and heading out the front door. They needed to hurry if they were to beat the insane buzz of traffic that was starting to clog up the roads. The first ever New Olympia horse races had evidently attracted a lot of attention to the city; if the large amount of tourists, television cameras and horse trailers in the streets were anything to go by, at least.

Theresa and Jay, however, were not really part of the festive mood that seemed to saturate the air. Evidently Jay was much angrier about the embrace she had given Herry than he was letting on, since he had not spoken to either since the incident had taken place. Instead he chose to put on the mask of calm confidence that he usually displayed to the outside world. Theresa on the other hand was simply bristling with suppressed rage. She kept shooting venomous glares in Herry's direction, interspersing every other passing moment with a loud '_humph_' as if trying to get some kind of response from him. Herry chose to ignore their antics and followed the two to the front door in seemingly ignorant silence.

As had been arranged over the phone, the trailer containing Granny's prized race horse, Swift, had been taken to the Brownstone from which the teens would escort it to the race track.

Swift moved around restlessly in his trailer when the group finally walked out the front door of the Brownstone. He whinnied and shoved his head against the trailer door, trying to get out. Herry quickly approached the trailer and shoved his hand through a window at the back to rub his palm across Swift's nose.

"Hey-hey, what's wrong big fella?" he asked in a soothing voice. "Are all these people scaring you?"

Swift snorted in what greatly resembled annoyance and shook his head. He reared on his hind legs till his head touched the ceiling of the trailer then smashed his feet back onto the floor. The trailer shook violently under his weight. The group around the trailer stepped back as one, while Herry and the driver, who had come hobbling from the front of the vehicle, tried to calm the animal down.

"Whoa, Swift! Calm down, boy. You're gonna hurt yourself."

Herry's words did nothing to calm Swift, who continued whinnying and stomping on the trailer floor. Herry reached in further to try and calm the animal.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Swift moved forward and chomped his teeth down on Herry's upper arm. Herry screamed in agony. For a moment it looked like the horse wanted to pull Herry further into the trailer. He did not succeed, however, for Herry ripped his arm out of the window and quickly retreated from the trailer.

Immediately the group of teens rushed to Herry, who was bent over ever so slightly, clutching his upper arm.

"Are you okay?" Gareth's panicked voice could be heard clearly above the rest.

He moved closer to touch Herry's arm, but the taller teen hastily pulled away from him. A hurt expression enveloped Gareth's face and he silently moved to the back of the surrounding group. Out of the corner of his eye Herry could see the angry look that Theresa suddenly shot at him. It would seem that the way Herry had just rebuffed Gareth only served to increase her, already considerable, anger.

But Herry honestly didn't care. Even the twinge of guilt he felt at seeing Gareth's hurt expression couldn't drive what had just happened from his mind. Swift, his lifelong animal companion, the friend he had grown up with on the farm, had just bitten him. It was the first time that Swift had shown aggression toward him, and it hurt. Even more than the throbbing pain that was currently coming from his right bicep.

He lifted the sleeve of his shirt to inspect the severity of the wound. An angry bruise was already forming on his arm. Luckily, Swift's teeth had not broken the skin. That did not mean much, though, since his powerful jaw had caused considerable damage none the less. Herry knew that his arm would hurt a lot more within a few hours. He looked back to the trailer where the driver was still trying to calm the horse down.

"What was that all about?" Archie asked. "I thought you said this was a good horse. Why'd he bite you?"

"He _is_ a good horse," Herry said in annoyance. "He's just nervous. He doesn't like all the noise."

"I don't know Herry…" Theresa said. "I feel something else is going on here. It's almost like he's afraid of something… or someone."

Herry didn't miss the meaningful look Archie and Jay shared at hearing this. Jay shook his head, having apparently come to some kind of decision. He didn't have time to contemplate that, though, since the driver had come hobbling over from the trailer where Swift was still moving about uneasily. Herry could tell by the redness of the man's complexion that he was more than just a little miffed.

"What the heck's going on with that crazy horse? Your grandmother told me it was a well bred animal. It's acting like it's rabid or something!" The driver hitched up his pants, his face becoming an ever darker shade of puce.

"I'm really sorry," Herry apologized. "Swift _is_ a good horse. He's just a little nervous."

The driver fixed Herry with his beady eyes. He chomped down as if chewing a cigar. "Nervous my ass, boy! That horse was fine till I stopped here. Then it just went berserk. I can't be caught with a rabid animal in my trailer. I'd lose a lot of business."

"Then maybe we should move the animal," Jay suggested, having decided to intercede before Herry punched the driver halfway across the city. "Perhaps the surroundings are causing Swift's uneasiness."

The driver turned his beady glare on Jay, who seemed completely unfazed by this show of intimidation. "Fine," the driver growled. "But that horse better calm down or I'm dumping it in the street."

Both Jay and Archie had to jump in the way to stop Herry from going after the driver. They didn't want to have to deal with the consequences of Herry giving the truck driver a concussion-by-pinky-shove. Sometimes they had to remind Herry that other people were very fragile when confronted with his super human strength.

"Easy now," Jay said. "We don't want to get into any trouble."

Herry took a deep breath and glared impotently in the direction of the truck. He knew that he wasn't in the right position to knock some sense into the driver. It took him a moment to realize that Jay was speaking to him and that he had missed half of the conversation.

"What?"

Jay sighed. "We were saying that we were going to ask the commander to send more people to guard Odie and Neil while we're away. Theresa thinks that something Lilith-related might have spooked Swift."

"You think she's… here?" Herry asked. His eyes shifted nervously to the alley across the street, as if expecting to see Lilith staring evilly in his direction.

"No. She wouldn't risk coming here again. But she could have sent one of her minions or she could be waiting till most of the marines are away before she tries something. We don't know."

Herry absent-mindedly kicked at a pebble at his feet. He thought of the last time Lilith had attacked and how close Odie had come to dying.

"Maybe I should stay behind to keep an eye on them till the rest of the marines are back," he suggested.

Jay contemplated for a moment. He nodded slowly, having come to a decision. "Might work."

"Then I'm staying too," Archie said. "He'll need back up."

Jay nodded in agreement. Usually this would have been the moment for Gareth to step forward and volunteer his services as well. After all, he never missed an opportunity to spend some time with Herry. Thus, Herry was greatly surprised when Gareth remained silent at the back of the group, displaying a not-so-convincing brave-face. Herry shook off the guilt and turned his attention to Theresa, who had just spoken up.

"Jay, don't you think Herry should come along? After all, if anyone can keep Swift calm then it would be him?"

"No. Like the driver said, Swift only went berserk when they stopped here. He'll most likely be better once they're on the road again. Besides, we need Herry here to look after Odie and Neil."

Theresa barely suppressed a groan of irritation. She gave a fleeting glance in Gareth's direction. "But Jay-"

Jay cut her off quickly. "Theresa, I'm sorry but Herry has to stay behind. He and Archie can catch up as soon as the commander sends some extra guards to the Brownstone."

Theresa relapsed into stony silence. It could not be clearer that she was highly displeased with Jay's decision. She gave one angry glance in Herry's direction, followed by an even angrier one to Jay, before crossing her arms and marching over to her convertible.

"See you guys in a little while, okay?" Jay said, turning his sole attention to Archie.

For a moment Herry registered the oddness of Jay's cold behavior. He bit back his annoyance and decided to take it in his stride. Jay was not immune to envy, and it was only natural for him to be a bit angry after walking in on Herry's hug with Theresa. He'd get over it in time. Herry was sure of it.

Jay's conversation with Archie must have ended, for he spun on his heel and joined the others in Theresa's convertible. They pulled in front of the trailer and sped off to the race track.

"You think Jay'll get over me hugging Theresa anytime soon?" Herry asked Archie, never taking his eyes off the ever disappearing horse trailer.

Archie snorted. "You're kidding, right? It's Jay we're talking about. He'll be on the PMR apologizing for being a jerk in about five minutes."

"I hope so," Herry said, rubbing the back of his neck. "We should probably go check on Neil and Odie."

Archie nodded and led the way into the Brownstone. Herry followed him with a sigh. Things had been going wrong for him ever since the previous night. He really wished life would give him a break. He'd have to wait for his break to come, however, for they could sense that something was off the moment they stepped into the kitchen.

"Did we leave the back door open?" he asked Archie.

Archie shook his head and crouched closer to the ground. He was in instant predator mode, scanning the room for anything that might give them a clue as to what was going on. He motioned for Herry to follow him and led the way down to the basement. Herry could see the familiar flashing of light coming from the slit beneath Odie's door. The genius was obviously busy playing video games.

Herry moved to open the door, but was stopped by Archie's hand silently slamming to his chest. Archie motioned for him to back away before quickly vanishing up the stairs. He returned a moment later carrying, of all the things on God's green Earth, a broomstick. He expertly maneuvered the end of the broom over the handle of the door and shoved.

The door was blasted off its hinges, filling the hallway with smoke. Archie disappeared into the smoke only to return a moment later looking grim.

"He's gone," he said, "and I bet Neil's missing too."

Herry felt dread rising in his chest. He jumped up the stairs three at a time and headed to Neil's room. Taking a leaf out of Archie's book, he grabbed a hockey stick from Atlanta's closet- all the while shuddering at the weirdly feminine stuff he saw there- and took position in front of Neil's door. He gave Archie one tentative glance before prodding the door open. The moment the door swung open a heavy mirror dropped from above and smashed to pieces on the ground. He peered into the room, to se that Neil was also missing.

"They're in trouble aren't they?" he asked Archie.

Archie looked down at the shards of broken glass that glinted evilly in the open doorway.

"I'm a bit more concerned about us," he said.

* * *

The heavy beat of the latest pop sensation reverberated through Theresa's convertible. The sound was turned up way louder than necessary; partly because the song was one of her favorites, but also because she didn't want to talk to Jay at that moment. Like so many other times in her life Theresa was trying to unravel the complexities of the male psyche. One moment Jay was his cool, charming self the next he was all possessive and jealous. And all this drama over a hug between friends!

A loud '_humph_' moved from her lips and she twisted her body so she wouldn't have to look directly at Jay. Her right hand let go of the steering wheel and rested on the window frame, where she drummed her fingers impatiently. Of all the times for her and Jay to get stuck together in traffic this was the most inconvenient. She looked in her rear-view mirror and saw that the truck driver was just as agitated as she was. All around her a cacophony of car horns and shouts were echoing. This only served to increase her agitation.

Theresa rubbed her fingers on the side of her temples. She could feel a headache coming on. She focused her mind to relieve the pain, something Persephone had taught her during one of their training sessions, and felt herself drift into that strange lull that usually came over her when she was trying to read someone's mind. The pain receded and Theresa worked at returning her mind to the normal world. She was in the driver's seat after all.

That's when it happened. It felt like someone had grabbed hold of her mind and was violently pulling her back into her psychic state. All around her the voices of nameless people's thoughts drifted through the air, the thoughts of women reminding themselves to buy that new lipstick, men who wanted to get to the race track and hormonal teens that had only one-track-minds bashed into her head.

"Theresa? What's wrong?" she heard Jay say. His voice was so very far away. She wanted to call to him, to ask him to save her. But she couldn't. Her mind was still filling up with random thoughts.

_This stupid stripy blouse is making me look fa-_

_Don't you be lookin' at me like that you crazy mo-_

_Go home if you don't wanna see the ra-_

_Kill! _

Suddenly Theresa's mind was as sharp as a razor blade. That last voice had sounded clearer than any of the others. It had latched onto her like a leech.

_Remember to distract the heroes. Kill them if you can._

Theresa's voice caught in her throat. He, she, it… whatever this voice belonged to, was talking about her and her friends. She knew it. After all, how many heroes lived in New Olympia? The voice had said something about distracting them. Something dangerous was happening and Theresa could think of only one person who could be responsible: Lilith. She needed to warn Jay, but how? Her mind was still stuck to this other… being's.

"What the heck? Jay, are you seeing this?" she heard Atlanta speak through the fog in her mind. For some reason Theresa could imagine them looking straight ahead at something in the road.

The voice hissed._ They saw us! Attack my sisters!_

Finally Theresa snapped out of her mental haze. She could see three darkly clad figures emerging from a minivan a few cars over. Black cloaks covered absolutely every inch of their bodies, as if they didn't want to be touched by the light of the sun.

"Jay, we have to get back to the Brownstone. The others are in trouble," Theresa said.

"Um, newsflash! _We're_ in trouble," Atlanta replied.

Theresa didn't bother to answer. For the darkly clad figure at the centre of the group, presumably the leader had just captured her attention irrevocably. For a moment it crouched a little lower to the ground before leaping into the air with astonishing power. Its body vaulted over three cars and landed on the hood of Theresa's convertible. The sudden force of the creature landing on the car made deep dents in the hood and caused it to momentarily tilt forward. The car slammed back onto all four wheels with such force that Theresa's gaping mouth slammed shut.

She would have been worried about the terrified screams coming from the surrounding cars, but was too absorbed by the appearance of the creature now crouching in front of her. She could see thin wisps of smoke billowing from the holes in its cloak. Its hand moved suddenly, making her half expect it to remove its hood. Instead a bleak feminine hand slid from beneath the cloak and pointed straight at Theresa. She could see the light of the sun searing the exposed flesh from the hand.

"Lilith sends her love," the creature said.

Theresa didn't need to be a psychic to catch the subtext: prepare to die.

**

* * *

Thanks for reading folks! Hope you enjoyed it!**

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**Much Love**

**AT**


	16. Holding Out For a Hero

**Hey there folks! Welcome to the 16th chappie of Rising in the Dark!**

**My deepest thanks and love goes out to all my amazing readers and reviewers. You people really make writing worthwhile and I appreciate the wonderful reviews and the insight you give.**

**Special thanks goes to tinianiatt, my brilliant Beta-reader.**

**Without further ado, here is the next installment of RID! Enjoy!**

* * *

The darkness thickened evilly as Cronus descended lower and lower into the earth. His godly feet never made a sound on the cobbled stone steps. Soon the darkness became so thick that it almost seemed to be smothering the flamed tip of the torch that he used to light his path. He finally reached the bottom of the staircase to find himself in a vast chamber filled with ancient objects, trinkets and artifacts. The mounds of gold, armor and weaponry stretched on in seemingly endless rows. A heavy film of cobwebs and dust covered absolutely every inch of the chamber. Some would call it a 'treasure trove' or 'the historical find of the century'. To Cronus it was nothing more than a storeroom for all the garbage he had hoarded in the time preceding his imprisonment.

He moved determinedly through the mounds, his flame burning a clear path through the films of webbing that drifted eerily from the ceiling. There was something haunting and magical about the chamber. Time seemed not to exist in this space and, indeed, it was doubtful that any mortal would be able to tell how long Cronus traveled before he finally reached the opposite end of the chamber.

He had halted at the apex of three steps that led down to a small lower level. In the centre of the floor stood a circular basin that very much resembled an ancient wishing well. It was brimming with crystal clear water which was sinisterly placid. Cronus knew that the basins depths stretched endlessly far into the earth. To be honest, he had only used the basin once before, when desperate times had called for desperate measures. Perhaps such a time had arisen again?

He paused. For a moment he stood in quite contemplation. When finally he came to a decision he summoned his twin scythes and slashed them through the air. Instantaneously a large portal appeared in front of him. There seemed to be a vast cave on the other side. Agnon, his lieutenant and commander of his giant forces faced him. The giant seemed to be positively terrified of his master, who only contacted him to yell or make increasingly unreasonable demands.

"Has she come out into the open yet?" Cronus asked.

Agnon grunted a reply which seemed to aggravate Cronus. He was quick to add another stream of grunts before Cronus could start yelling his immortal head off.

"You say she's launched an attack on the brats? Wonderful. Then I was right to take this course of action, as was expected."

For a moment Cronus stood in quiet consideration. It was unclear whether he was admiring his own brilliance or simply plotting his next move. He snapped back into focus so suddenly that a startled Agnon grunted in shock.

"Oh stop being such a coward!" Cronus chided. "Gather all your brothers. You must be ready to leave when I say so. The witch will reveal herself soon and then we shall seize our chance." Cronus moved to close the portal but, apparently remembering one more thing, turned to Agnon with a slightly more secretive stare. "Any news on your other mission? Were you able to find… the one I seek?"

Agnon shook his head and looked down; twiddling his thumbs nervously.

Cronus' face hardened. "Very well. You must continue the search later. For now, get your brothers ready and wait for my command."

Agnon nodded his head obediently and disappeared with a snap of Cronus' fingers. Cronus returned to the basin and raised his right arm into the air. He rolled up his sleeve with the kind of reserved flair that only an immortal could manage. When finally his arm was bare up to the elbow he balled his fist and closed his eyes, as if steeling himself. After a moment of hesitation he plunged his arm into the watery depths. Immediately a violent rigor rippled up his body. He held his hand under a moment longer as the clear water was stained with a darker crimson shade. Agonizingly slowly he lifted his arm from the depths and held it in front of him. Large tube like creatures clung to his arm and writhed disgustingly. They looked very much like unusually thin leeches. Tiny streams of blood pooled at the places where their mouths connected with his skin and dripped onto the edge of the basin. Cronus bent his head and examined the carvings on the brim of the basin more closely. It was an ancient Greek spell. The very spell he'd been looking for. He recited it slowly and deliberately, adding the appropriate personal pronoun where it was required.

"_Spirit of night, accept my blood-offering._

_Follow the one I seek and reveal her lair."_

A rush of wind swept from the room and into the depths of the well, as if it had suddenly taken a deep, shuddering breath. In the flickering light of the torch Cronus could see smoke starting to rise from the, now disappearing, ends of the leech-creatures on his arm. The smoke coalesced into a swirling orb of darkness; black tendrils of mist hanging sinisterly from its surface.

Cronus lifted his right arm, which had already started to heal, and took hold of the dark creation. He had two people he wanted to find, one more important than the other. Alas, urgent need dictated where he sent the orb. After all, want always took a back seat to need. And he knew he needed to seize this one-time-only opportunity before it was too late.

With his free hand Cronus summoned a scythe and opened a new portal. The images on the other side of the portal flew by. It zoomed across the large cityscape at breakneck speed and came to a rest at the top of a tall skyscraper. In fact, it was the tallest building in New Olympia. Cronus could see a large glass box perched on the roof of the building. No doubt, the witch had something nasty planned involving that box. He smiled in spite of himself. He had to admire her sadistic ingenuity.

The smile evaporated almost instantly and he lifted the orb so it was perpendicular to the portal images, as if showing it the projected landscape.

He tossed the orb into the air and commanded, "Find and follow Lilith!"

* * *

"Damn it!" Archie yelled and threw his PMR across the room. "The damn thing's useless. I can't get any kind of message sent. Lilith must have found a way to block the signal."

Herry simply nodded his agreement. He knew that Archie was most likely right. Lilith was smart enough to cover all the bases. They'd have to save Odie and Neil all by themselves. As if reading his mind, Archie straightened up and approached the, still open, back door.

"We'll have to follow their kidnappers' tracks on our own."

Herry followed quickly as Archie led them out the back door, around the house and down the street. His eyes flickered attentively over their surroundings; not missing a single bent twig or footprint. They were lucky that Neil's designer shoes had such a unique tread, allowing them to easily discern his footprints from all the rest on the sidewalk.

They didn't realize where they were going until they came to an abrupt halt in front of the imposing front steps of Olympus High School. Archie flashed a worried glance in Herry's direction.

"Not good," he stated the obvious. "You don't think…"

He didn't finish his sentence. His obvious concern propelled him up the front steps and through the empty building. He didn't need to waste time with tracking footprints anymore, so sure was he about their destination.

Archie and Herry hurried toward the janitor's closet, but were knocked off their feet when a violent blast shook the entire school building. Large chunks of the ceiling came crashing down as the two boys rushed into the closet, shielding their heads with their hands. Moments later they were stumbling into the sanctuary of the gods and trying to find cover from the falling debris.

The ground stopped shaking as suddenly as it had started leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Herry felt his stomach being tied in knots. Not only because he was still recovering from tremor-induced jelly-legs, but also because he knew this kind of silence. It was the kind of silence that usually came after something terrible happened. Almost like the air itself was being filled with guilt.

It took a moment for him to scan his surroundings and realize that something was off. Where were the gods? Why weren't they coming out to see what was wrong? Surely they must have felt that tremor?

"Hello?" he called into the silence. "Hera? Zeus?"

"Quiet!" Archie hissed.

Herry immediately reverted to silence and waited. Still, no one came out to see what was going on. _Not good._

The strong smell of melting rubber and dust started to fill the air and drew their attention to a plume of smoke that was now starting to billow from the depths of Hermes' office. The pair rushed across the room and through the smoking doorway. They did not expect the sight of carnage they ran into and Archie had to move fast, to avoid running into the rubble. Herry felt his jaw drop in amazement. It looked like someone, or something, had ripped Hermes' entire workstation from the wall and thrown it to the other side of the room. Ashes and ripped pieces of paper were still drifting to the floor. Worst of all, the secret portal which he and his teammates had used so many times before, was standing wide open. Sparks shot from the broken piece of machinery that was now lodged in its open doorway and a bright blue liquid seemed to be leaking from one of the broken panels.

"Not good," Herry said.

"No shi-"

The sound of exploding masonry and falling rubble stopped Archie from finishing his sentence. The teens stormed across the Titan wing to Hera's aviary from whence the commotion came. They charged through the doorway, only halting when they caught sight of Odie and Neil.

Neil was removing an ornately carved box from a hole in the floor with Odie standing a few feet away, his arms crossed determinedly. Herry didn't know why, but for some reason it looked like Odie was… standing guard? They were obviously not completely themselves at that moment.

"Odie, what's going on?" Herry asked.

Odie gave him such a potent death glare that Herry couldn't keep from cringing.

"You're coming with me," Odie said in a commanding tone that did not at all suit him.

Suddenly Herry was aware of the fact that Odie hadn't blinked even once since they'd come into the room. In fact, his face was locked in a stony, emotionless mask that said quite a lot about his mental state. Whoever was speaking, it wasn't Odie.

"Odie, if you're in there, we want to help you. Whatever Lilith's doing to you, you can beat it, buddy." Herry said.

Odie rolled his eyes. "Oh brother. I don't have time for this. You're coming with us one way or the other. Let's go Neil."

Neil straightened up as if he'd just been waiting for Odie's command. He had removed two items from the box. Herry felt a lead weight drop in his stomach when he recognized them as Hecate's torches. Things were starting to make sense now, but not in any way that made him feel better. If someone as powerful as Lilith could get their hands on the torches… Herry shuddered again.

The two boys walked determinedly toward them, clearly aiming for the exit.

"Odie, we want to help you," Herry reiterated.

"Shut up, Herry," Odie said.

Odie's hand shot out so fast that Herry didn't have time to move before the taser connected with the skin of his neck. His muscles tightened painfully as a bolt of electricity shot through his body and he fell to the floor. Things went dark quicker than he'd thought possible. Herry didn't know for how long he was out before he started drifting back to consciousness. He could hear shouting and the shuffle of feet. He realized that there was a fight going on nearby.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Odie?" He heard Archie shout. "Stop this. I don't want to hurt you."

It took a moment for Herry to register what exactly was bothering him about that sentence. Then it hit; Archie was fighting Odie. And by the sound of his ragged gasps, the little genius was putting up quite a good fight.

_But that's impossible_. His befuddled mind screamed. _Odie isn't a fighter. And he definitely isn't good enough to last against Archie._

But, sure enough, he only had to focus his hearing a little more before he heard a loud crash to his right. It sounded a lot like somebody had been thrown into Hera's desk. It didn't sound like the desk had survived.

Herry focused on getting back to his feet. He needed to help Archie before it was too late. It took him an agonizingly long time to make a single move; in which time he could hear the fight moving from Hera's aviary and across the length of the entrance of the Titan wing. Herry could hear the frantic gasps and grunts that could only mean that Archie was pulling out all the stops to dodge… whatever Odie was attacking him with.

_Move!_ His mind screamed at him in a voice that reminded him of Hercules. _Your friend needs help!_

It took all his willpower, but finally Herry managed to roll over onto his stomach. He cracked open his eyes and looked at the violently moving figures on the other side of the entrance hall. The fight had moved to Chiron's study. He could see Archie frantically ducking and diving as Odie jabbed at him with the taser. How was this possible? What could Lilith have done to Odie to make him such a powerful warrior?

Herry unevenly got to his feet. He had never had alcohol in his life, but he was pretty sure this was what it felt like to be drunk. His legs shook weakly with every step, but Herry forced them to keep on moving.

He heard a loud crash. The sound of cascading books filled his belly with lead-like dread. He looked up to see that Odie had finally managed to land a blow. Archie lay crumpled against a book case, clutching his head in pain. A fine trickle of blood seeped between his fingers.

"You should know by now that you can't beat Lilith. How many times does she have to beat you to a pulp before you give in?" Odie asked mockingly.

"We won't ever stop fighting back," Archie growled angrily.

He lunged forward, but Odie seemed to have expected this. He dived to the side and jammed the taser into Archie's neck. Archie's body jerked violently. A moment later he crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Odie, however, seemed to have lost himself in the rush of the fight. He didn't stop. The taser buzzed angrily while Odie continued pressing down on Archie's neck.

That was when Herry knew that Odie was intent on killing Archie. His shaky legs seemed to speed up at this realization and propelled him forward. He grabbed Odie by the scruff of his neck and tossed him across the hall. It was quite a testament to how drained of strength Herry was, that Odie wasn't crushed against the far wall like a bug on a windshield. The sudden impact with the floor only seemed to faze Odie a little. Within seconds he was back on his feet and charging at Herry with hellish speed. Herry meant to knock Odie's block off, but his unsteady aim was too low and he ended up slamming his fist into Odie's shoulder. The sickening crunch that followed made it quite clear that Herry had broken it. Odie's anguished scream echoed in Herry's ears even as the force of the blow sent him off balance and crashing to the floor. He rolled over and moved to get back on his feet but got the full impact of Odie's foot crashing into his stomach. The air was forced painfully from his lungs, leaving him a gasping mess on the floor. The world spun uncontrollably as Herry breathed rapid, wheezing breaths.

Odie moved in from his right. He was bent over slightly; clutching at his shoulder, but there was a disturbing grin splayed on his face. In one swift motion he lifted his foot from the ground and sent it crashing down onto Herry's face.

* * *

The sound of the wind howling around a corner cut through the silence. Herry fell back into his conscious body with unnerving speed. He opened his eyes to a world that was spinning madly. He rolled onto his belly and got onto all fours. The spinning slowly subsided, leaving him only slightly nauseous.

He resisted the urge to gag and shakily got to his feet. It was then that he realized that something was very wrong. The sun in the sky seemed to burn down much brighter than usual; like it was closer somehow. The painful throb of his nose has also become apparent. He gingerly touched it and felt something sticky on his skin. Blood. His nose was definitely broken.

"Sorry about the nose," Odie's voice said behind him.

Herry spun around. He clumsily brought his fists up, ready to defend himself. Odie was hunched over on the ground, clutching at his broken shoulder. His skin was horribly pale and his eyes squinted slightly.

"Relax," Odie said. The exhaustion in his voice was suddenly clear. "I'm not going to be able to hurt anyone. Besides, she's done with me."

Herry lowered his fists slightly. "Is it really you, Odie? You're not just trying to trick me or something?"

Odie sighed. "If I wanted to kill you Herry, I'd have done it when you were out. Besides, I wouldn't be trapped in this cage if I was still under Lilith's control."

Herry looked up. Rusted iron bars were seemingly crisscrossed in mid air, held up by four grimy glass walls. He looked into the distance and had another shock of realization. Skyscrapers rose into the air as far as the eye could see. They were definitely at the top of a very high building.

Herry realized that they didn't have any time to waste on hesitation. He had to get them out of there before Lilith showed up.

"Don't worry buddy. I'll get you out of here. We're leaving here now," Herry said determinedly.

He moved a safe distance from Odie, balled his fist and slammed it against the glass wall as hard as he could. His hand seemed to crash against the glass in slow motion. All rational thought fled Herry's mind in that single moment. He could only think of the incredible pain in his hand and the fact that he didn't even make a crack in the wall of the cage. He sank to his knees, clutching his right hand. His hand trembled uncontrollably. The strange angle at which his middle finger was bent left no doubt that he had broken it.

"You okay?" Odie asked.

Herry shook his head. He gingerly made to touch the finger, but quickly pulled away. The slightest touch sent ripples of agony through his hand.

"Don't you know me well enough by now to know I'd be prepared for your brute strength?" a familiar feminine voice asked.

Herry's head shot up and came to a rest on the gorgeous blonde on the other side of the glass wall. Lilith was dressed, as usual, in what seemed to be a negligee. The thin, black material was, if possible, even more revealing than any of her previous choices in clothing.

"Let us go," Herry growled.

"Oh Herry. You know that's not going to happen," she said sweetly. "I didn't go through all this trouble to capture you _just_ to let you go again."

"Let us go now or I will tear you apart," Herry growled.

He wasn't really thinking straight anymore. Sweat moistened his brow and a feverish mixture of anger and fear flooded his mind. The smile on Lilith's face froze, slowly morphing into a venomous scowl.

"You can't do anything to anyone," she spat. "You are at my mercy now and you'll do well to remember that I decide how fast you and your friend die."

Herry screamed angrily and slammed his fist against the wall. Lilith sighed.

"This is getting tedious. Might as well let the games begin. You're no fun at all."

She moved to what appeared to be a rusted old tap a few feet away and began to open it in an elaborately slow manner.

"I hope you enjoy swimming," she said.

The sound of water rushing through empty pipes howled beneath Herry and Odie's feet. It was only then, when finally taking time to examine the floor, that they noticed the three small holes is the ground. A rush of icy water burst from the holes and began pooling around Herry's feet. He turned back to Lilith who smiled at him maliciously.

"I think it's time we called daddy, don't you? I hope for your sakes he answers my call. Or else I'll be forced to kill you immediately," she said sweetly and removed a PMR from her pocket. She must have taken it from him or Odie.

Panic flooded Herry's chest and without hesitating, without even thinking of the pain in his hands, he began slamming his fists into the wall. They smashed against the glass faster and faster as the water rose to ankle level.

"Oh dear, you don't have much time," Lilith commented matter-of-factly, her fingers darting over the keys of the PMR.

Herry's terrified screams mingled with the sounds of rushing water and his impotent punches as the first streak of his blood stained the glass.

* * *

The vampire's hand smashed violently through the windshield of Theresa's car and grabbed hold of her hair. Theresa's scream shattered their collective eardrums as she was pulled from the car.

Gareth, Jay and Atlanta threw open their doors and rushed to aid her, but were immediately accosted by the vampire's two companions. Jay drew his xiphos and took a defensive stance while Atlanta brought her wrist mounted laser crossbow to the fore. Gareth, who had no weapon to fight with, held his fists at the ready, eyeing the vampires with apprehension. He really didn't want to fight one of those things.

"I'm only going to ask you this once," Jay said, addressing the vampire holding Theresa, "let go of her, _now_."

"I'd rather not. This one is psychic," it said with a hint of interest. It brought Theresa's head closer and inhaled a deep breath of her scent. "Oh, I do so love a good psychic. Especially one who's had a taste of the dark side before…"

It lowered its hooded head to Theresa's neck. Gareth had no doubt that its sharp fangs were bared.

"Get away from me," Theresa screeched and pulled at the back of the vampire's hood.

The creature dropped her immediately as licks of flame burst from every inch of its exposed skin. It frantically pulled its hood back in place, but the damage was done. The creature's hood was now engulfed in flames which were quickly spreading to the rest of its cloak. It thrashed and wailed horribly, chunks of burning flesh and fabric falling to the ground. Theresa saw the danger just a little too late. The creature's violently flailing arms smashed into her just before she could get out of the way. Her body flew through the air as if weighing nothing and crashed against a car on the far side of the road. She fell to the ground in a horribly silent heap. Without thinking of his own safety, or the fact that there were still two very real, very dangerous vampires to deal with, Jay rushed to Theresa's side.

Gareth also wanted to make sure that she was okay, but the two vampires in front of him had gone berserk at seeing their comrade reduced to ash and flame. They charged forward like enraged bulls forcing him and Atlanta to dive to the side to avoid them. Gareth rolled out of the way and sprang back to his feet. He was instantly forced to once again get out of the way of one of the charging vampires. Its vicious claws ripped at the sleeve of his T-shirt as it passed leaving angry red slashes across his upper arm.

Through the sudden jolt of pain in his arm and the adrenalin bursting through his veins Gareth was vaguely aware of a hauntingly familiar song that had started ringing in his ears. He recognized it as the ringtone of his PMR. He had no idea who was calling, but it'd have to wait, he had much more important things to deal with.

Gareth weaved between Atlanta and her adversary and clumsily dove over the hood of a screaming couple's car. He was barely able to travel a few feet further when the vampire caught up, its crushing grip taking hold of his shoulder. It threw him back against the car with horrible ease. The power of the impact forced the air from Gareth's lungs. He sank to the ground, painfully aware of the fact that if he ever got out of this alive he'd have to seriously consider seeing a chiropractor.

He looked up into the grinning face of the vampire and shuddered. It had closed the distance between them with inhuman speed. The vampire pulled its fist back to deliver the fatal blow.

A multitude of things suddenly rushed through Gareth's mind almost at once. He wondered if his death would be very painful. He'd always thought he'd be brave at the end, but right at that moment he felt like calling for his mommy. He also wondered if his friends would miss him, because he'd miss them terribly. Finally he wondered why his PMR was still ringing and who could possibly want to reach him so urgently.

The vampire's fist sailed at his head as if in slow motion. Gareth didn't understand it, but something deep inside him, almost like an animal instinct, was telling him to not give up. His body fell to the side just as the vampire's fist sailed over him. The force of the blow pushed the car back several feet and sent the vampire's fist crashing through the passenger door. An anguished scream echoed across the street and was quickly followed by a series of loud thuds. Apparently a passenger in the car, a woman by the sound of it, was beating the vampire's hand to a pulp with her handbag.

"Get away from me you ugly monstrosity!" she screamed, punctuating every word with a thundering blow.

The vampire growled angrily and tried to pull its hand free, but only managed to pull the car along the side of the street. Gareth seized his opportunity to move to safety. His eyes frantically scanned the street for a weapon until they landed on Jay, who was crouching beside Theresa.

"Jay," he called. "I need your xiphos. Quick!"

With speed gained from experience in combat Jay pulled his xiphos from his pocket and tossed it in Gareth's direction. He just barely caught it. Swiftly he slashed the blade through the air, neatly severing the vampire's head from its body. It dissolved in a cloud of ash and flame. Gareth recoiled at the sudden heat wave that blasted over his body. He gave the terrified family inside the car an apologetic glance before running back to the others. Atlanta had managed to dispatch the last of the three vampires and was now standing next to Jay, who was worriedly bending over Theresa.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked her in concern.

Theresa moved into a sitting position, rubbing her lower back as if in extreme pain.

"I'll be fine. Geeze, would someone answer their PMR already?" she asked irritably.

It was only then that Gareth realized his PMR was still ringing. He angrily pulled it from his pocket. Who in Zeus' name would be calling at such a time?

"What?" he yelled into the receiver.

"Hello daddy," a familiarly malicious voice answered.

Gareth could feel the color draining from his face. It felt as if gravity had somehow increased, making his limbs feel heavy and leaden. For a moment he couldn't find anything to say.

"L-Lilith…" he gasped stupidly.

"Yes. I see you're as perceptive as always," she mocked. "Be glad you answered when you did. I was beginning to think you were ignoring me. I _don't_ like being ignored." Her tone of voice changed so quickly with her last few words that Gareth had to stop the shiver that ran down his spine. Lilith was most definitely very angry.

Gareth turned to the others. He could see that he had caught their attention by saying Lilith's name. They all looked at him expectantly, waiting for the smallest sign that could give away what was going on.

"What are you up to?" Gareth asked in a shaky voice.

Lilith giggled like a four year old. "Straight to the point I see. Well then, let's get to it. I know Father's Day is still a long way off, but I just felt like giving you a little gift."

Suddenly Gareth became aware of a noise in the background. He could very distinctly hear what sounded like rushing water and… screaming?

"What is it?" he asked; all the while cursing his shaking voice.

"Mmmm… why don't you take a look for yourself? I know these PMR's have a video screening function."

Gareth apprehensively pulled the PMR from his ear and pressed a small blue button on the side. He was immediately greeted by Lilith's grinning face.

"There we go. Now we can start having fun," she said. She looked positively giddy with joy.

Jay and the others squeezed closer to also examine the images on the screen. Lilith aimed the PMR at what looked like a large glass box. A sea of dread crashed down on his shoulders when he realized what he was seeing. Theresa let out an audible gasp.  
The walls of the box were stained in blood and leaning against the glass, looking completely drained of strength, was Herry. Behind him, looking equally haggard was Odie.

"Do you like your gift, daddy?" Lilith asked evilly. Her pleasure reverberated in every syllable.

Gareth seemed to be choking. The words in his head refused to become audible.

"If you don't let them go, right now-"

"Then what? You're going to threaten me to death?" Lilith asked. "You can't do a thing to stop me and you know it."

"The team and I will come find you. We'll save our friends," Gareth declared. He didn't need to look at the others to know that they were in passionate agreement.

"Really," Lilith drawled lazily. "Come on, you know I'll have covered the bases. This building is already surrounded by police officers and reporters. There's no way you can come storming in on your hippogriffs or use your silly portal."

"How-" Gareth began.

"Oh you'd be surprised how jumpy the public are about bomb threats nowadays," Lilith explained lazily. "One phone call was all it took to get the public's attention where I wanted it. So, you can't come charging in and you definitely can't use your powers against me. Unless you _want_ all your secrets exposed."

Gareth felt a wave of nausea wash over him. There was no way to fight Lilith. They were completely at her mercy.

"What do you want Lilith?" Jay asked from behind Gareth.

"I want Gareth," she said simply. "He has to come to the city's central data hub. _Alone_. At the rate this tank is filling, I'd say he has about twenty minutes to reach me before… well, you know." Lilith finished her sentenced with a wicked smile. "Good luck negotiating the traffic jam, daddy."

And with a single beep the line was cut. Gareth yelped at the sudden disappearance of the video feed. It felt like Herry and Odie were ripped away along with the image.

"Jay, what are we going to do?" Atlanta asked.

"There's no way we can reach them in time. Not with all the roads blocked," Theresa added.

"We'll have to go on foot," Jay said. "Let's move."

"No," Gareth said, bringing them all to a shocked standstill. "You heard what Lilith said, I have to go alone."

Jay turned to Gareth with his most authoritarian stare.

"You cannot face Lilith alone. We have to work together as a team. We're going there together. Understood?"

Gareth felt a roar of anger rising inside him. Every moment he spent arguing was a moment less he had to save Herry.

"No," he said defiantly. "I'm going alone. I'll get there much faster anyway."

Gareth began to move, but Jay grabbed hold of his arm and stopped him in his tracks.

"Are you crazy? For you to go alone would be suicide."

"I'd get there much faster, Jay. Now let me go!"

"I said no, Gareth. That's an order!"

Gareth let out an angry howl. He didn't really know what he was doing until his fist collided with Jay's jaw. Jay staggered back in surprise, rubbing his face.

"I'm sorry, but I can't risk losing Herry," Gareth said before spinning on his heel and running to Swift's trailer.

He could hear the other's charging after him. Without even considering the consequences of his mutinous behavior Gareth pulled open the back of the trailer and moved to the dark stallion. Swift blinked at him calmly, as if waiting for his arrival.

"Herry's in trouble," Gareth yelled to the horse without really knowing why.

Miraculously, Swift kneeled down and allowed Gareth to clamber on his back. He rose to full height at the same moment that Jay and the others reached them.

"Gareth, don't do this," Theresa pleaded.

Gareth wrapped his arms around Swift's neck and whispered, "Take me to Herry Swift. He needs us."

Swift whinnied loudly and charged out of the trailer, sending Jay, Theresa and Atlanta scrambling out of the way. Their shouts and cries quickly faded as his hooves thundered across the road, weaving between the cars and astonished pedestrians. The wind howled in Gareth's ears. He clung to Swift for all he was worth, too afraid to move lest he fall off the charging beast's back.

Gareth whispered continually in Swift's ear, urging him to run faster; to hurry before their time ran out. He knew that somehow Swift understood. That he wanted to save Herry as much as he did. That was why Swift had bitten Herry. He didn't want to hurt him. He wanted to warn him; wanted to pull him closer, for he had sensed that something very dangerous was about to happen.

Gareth let out a small scream when Swift charged across a busy intersection. They were just barely able to avoid being hit by a truck, which swerved dangerously across the road. Screeching brakes and angry shouts followed them in their race to the data hub.

Gareth dared to look at the road ahead through Swift's mane. The data hub menacingly rose into sight. Even from this distance Gareth could see the chaos around it. Police cars and fire trucks were parked in a semi-circle around the entrance of the building. Hundreds of civilians had gathered around the police-tape that cordoned off the area; many of them clutching cameras and cell phones.

Swift wasn't at all concerned about the tape and police officers blocking his way. He vaulted over the barrier without slowing his pace and stormed the entrance. A group of police officers moved into their path and aimed their guns directly at Gareth.

"Get behind the barrier now," one of them ordered.

Gareth tightened his grip around Swift's neck. He could feel the many guns being aimed at his body, could hear the shocked shouts of the people around him.

"Help me Swift!" he yelled. "Herry needs us."

Swift whinnied loudly. Gareth felt his body rising into the air as the horse reared on his hind legs. He slammed his front hooves violently to the ground. The police officers quickly backed away. Swift reared a second time and pawed the air with his front hooves. This time, however, he had moved too quickly for Gareth. He lost his grip and fell crashing to the ground. He heard a loud popping noise as his head hit the pavement. Then his eyes closed and the darkness devoured him.

**

* * *

Thanks for reading folks! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Feel free to review with any and ALL comments you might have on this chappie. I don't mind constructive criticism at all and would be ever thankful for your input.  
**

**Have a wonderful day/night!:)**

**Much Love**

**AT**


	17. Lilith Victorious Part 1

**Hey there guys and girls of FF! I bet you don't even remember me. :) **

**I'm finally back after a year long hiatus. I feel absolutely horrible. Sorry for the long wait. University and work totally robbed me of my FF juices. If you can find it in your hearts to forgive this salty old dog, I promise to finish this story properly. :)**

**SO: I'd like to thank all the folks who reviewed and helped to remind me that I still had a story to finish. You make coming back worth it. **

**ALSO: I'm eternally thankful for the incredible beta writing that Wings of Corrugated Irony (just one of her many brilliant pseudonyms) provided for me. You are a life saver in every imaginable flavor, girl! **

**FINALLY: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to ALL OF YOU! To every reader who stuck with me for all this time, this one is for you.**

* * *

'_Not so easy having the secrets of your destiny locked away in your mind is it_?' the Oracle whispered, waking Gareth. _'Didn't I tell you that?'_

Gareth's eyes shot open. For a moment he didn't know where he was. His mind was filled with weird images and flashes. Slowly the flashing subsided and he was able to take in his surroundings. He was back in his old room in South Africa. In _parallel-Earth _South Africa. There were no signs of violence, magic, gods or his seven friends.

Where a month ago the sight of his immaculately clean room with all its Class of the Titans posters and Disney paraphernalia would have filled him with joy, he felt nothing more than dread. He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be back at the Data Hub in New Olympia trying to save Herry and Odie's lives.

The moment he thought of Herry**,** Gareth remembered the last time he saw him, screaming in terror, and panicked. He returned to the spot where he had woken up and pounded his fist on the floor.

"Take me back! I wanna go back! I know you can hear me Oracle. You woke me up a few seconds ago," he bellowed at the empty room. "Take me back to New Olympia. Now!"

The emptiness of the room remained silent. Gareth let out a frustrated howl and renewed his futile attempts to smash a portal through his bedroom floor.

'_Maybe it's time you saw the future with a little more clarity,' _the Oracle said again.

Gareth shot up from the floor with a start. It took him a second of scanning the room before finally realizing where the Oracle's voice was coming from. _'You'll see what I mean,' _the Oracle's voice whispered in his thoughts.

A moment later Gareth's bedroom door creaked open and, while balancing a packet of Oreos and a cup of coffee, entered… Gareth. He looked at his own face in awe. This was the weirdest kind of weird ever. He could see from the slightly pudgier middle and shorter hair that this was a younger version of himself. Gareth stared in amazement at himself as he sat down behind his computer and pulled the keyboard closer, completely unaware of the other presence in his room. Older Gareth cringed as his younger self popped calorie-loaded-cookie after calorie-loaded-cookie into his mouth and stared at the bright computer monitor. Clearly he had yet to learn that less could be more.

"Maybe I should finish this scene after all," his younger self said to no one in particular. He pulled at the fuzz of his goatee pensively. "But should I have Cronus kill Jay or just mortally wound him?"

He hunched over the keyboard and quickly typed in a few sentences before instantly erasing it all.

"That's way too cliché," he scolded himself. "Maybe I should figure out the ending first…"

Somewhere in the back of his mind, while watching his younger self contemplate, Gareth was beginning to piece the puzzle together. This entire scene was incredibly familiar.

"Mmm… Should I make them kill Lilith and Cronus in the end to live happily ever after or should they die heroically and end with them in the Elysian Fields?" Younger Gareth eyed a dragon action figure on his desk as if expecting it to answer him. "Or should I write a shocking ending where Lilith kills them all?"

His younger self seemed to weigh the options and, apparently having come to a silent decision, started typing the rest of the chapter.

Gareth floated to his younger self's side, having finally figured out what was going on. Somehow, someway he was looking at himself during his last big writing session. He was seeing himself on the night before his world changed for good; before he had that awful fight with his dad and he was whisked away to a parallel world filled with gods, monsters, potent magic and even more potent love…

He reached over his younger self's shoulder and gently touched his fingertips to those of his younger self. He knew it was what he was supposed to do. He wasn't sure how. He just _knew _it.

Instantly he was sucked into a whirl of colorful imagery and crisp sounds. His body reacted so swiftly to every flashing picture that he felt like he was schizophrenic. From the joy of seeing a friend again, the fear of being lost in the dark, the arousal of a naked body caressing his own right to the icy cold emptiness that reminded him so much of-

'_I told you you'd see,'_ the Oracle said in his head.

He crashed back to the real world with a strangled gasp. All around him screams filled the air and flashes blinded his eyes. The sharp clack of hooves against concrete alerted him to the fact that he was finally back in New Olympia and that he still had loved ones to rescue. Gareth scrambled to his feet. He took a moment to look behind him. Somehow Swift had managed to push the police officers away from the Data Hub and was keeping them at bay with angry kicks and loud whinnies. Gareth didn't hesitate any longer to seize his chance and charged the entrance. He ran to the lobby elevator and repeatedly jabbed the button.

"Stop! You can't go up there," one of the police officers yelled.

The elevator doors slid open allowing Gareth to slip inside. He turned and saw that Swift had entered the building as well and was, amazingly, still holding most of the armed officers at bay. One of them, however, slipped by his kicks and stormed the elevator, diving at the door which closed just in time for him to smash against its metal frame.

Gareth pressed the back of his head to the wall and inhaled deep, unsteady breaths. He still couldn't quite process everything he had just seen. He felt like a glass of water that was overflowing.

"Oh my gods," he said, voicing his thoughts. "I remember… everything."

* * *

Jay, Atlanta and Theresa finally managed to reach the edge of the crowd around the Data Hub. Jay pinched the bridge of his nose to try and stop the flow of blood. How the heck did Gareth learn to punch like that? More importantly, how were they going to reach him before he reached Lilith?

"Move! Get out of the way!" Atlanta screamed, elbowing her way through the crowd one person at a time.

It took a few minutes of struggling, but they finally managed to reach the innermost edge of the semi-circle of spectators.

"-completely out of his mind," an old woman next Theresa whispered to her friend. "Kids these days. Charging in on a horse like that!"

"No need to guess who that was," Theresa said.

Jay nodded and quickly scanned the distance between them and the entrance. His heart sank a little with every armed guard he saw. Gareth may have gotten through, but there would be no such luck for anyone else. The tightened security made sure of that.

"What are we going to do, Jay?" Atlanta asked. "Gareth's already inside and there's no way to reach the entrance."

Jay opened his mouth, ready to hatch an elaborate plan of attack, but was stopped short when the old woman next to Theresa spoke up again.

"I tell you Judy, there was something unnatural about that boy. Did you see the way he spoke to the horse? And it actually seemed to respond! I tell you, there's something odd going on here."

"We have to forget about Gareth for now," Jay said. He felt a twinge of guilt at seeing the girls' shocked expressions. Jay's eyes scanned the crowd and noted the multitude of video cameras and cell phones. "We have a much bigger problem. We've got to find a way to keep the world of the gods from being exposed. And with Gareth going rogue and Lilith torturing people for all the cameras to see that won't be an easy task."

"But Jay-" Theresa spoke up.

"We have no choice, Theresa. If our secret gets out people will go crazy. Do you have any idea how many people could get hurt?" Theresa met Jay's eyes defiantly, but didn't answer. "Look, I care about Gareth and the others as much as you do. But, as much as it hurts me to say this, their survival is less important at the moment. For the sake of the rest of the world we have to... forget about saving them. For now at least."

"Then what do we have to do?" Atlanta asked.

Jay scanned the streets around the Data Hub once more. His instincts as leader had kicked in and he was only thinking of the safety of the innocent bystanders. He clapped his hands together and moved closer to dish out his orders.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do. Theresa, didn't you tell me the other day that you and Persephone had been working on using your powers on more than one person? Say, for instance, a crowd?"

"Yes."

"You think you can find a way to stop the reporters and camera man from getting the story out?"

"I don't know Jay," Theresa said uncertainly. "There are so many people here."

"Please try. We _have_ to keep things under wraps." Theresa nodded slowly and moved away into the crowd. "Okay, Atlanta, that leaves you and me to find a way from stopping anyone from leaving the area."

"If you haven't noticed, Jay, there are hundreds of people here. There's no way we're going to keep them all from leaving."

"Don't worry, I've got a plan. We only need to block the roads that lead back into the rest of the city. And I think I know how we're going to do that... How do you feel about breaking a few laws?"

Atlanta raised her brow quizzically as her lips curled into a wicked grin.

* * *

Lilith circled the glass tank like a predator. She couldn't help but feel aroused at the sight of the coughing and spluttering humans in the rapidly filling crucible. There was something about the schadenfreude of watching someone suffer that always gave her the shivers; in the most delicious way imaginable...

Herry gasped for air, clawing at the metal bars above his head for an anchor to keep his head above water. Lilith could see that he was tiring. The combination of his injuries and the strain it took to keep both himself and his friend above water was taking its toll. She noted Odie's terrified expression and reveled in Herry's every asphyxiated gasp. She imagined that their limbs were aching from thrashing in such a confined space. Right at that moment their throats were probably burning from all the water they'd forcibly swallowed; their lungs slowly filling with water...

Goosebumps erupted all over Lilith's flesh. She was having the time of her life. Yet, as much as she enjoyed their torture, she hoped that Gareth would arrive in time. She'd hate to miss the chance of seeing him watch his _precious_ friends drown. And with only a few minutes to go before the three-quarters-filled tank was full, that end was most definitely nigh.

* * *

Gareth had to keep reminding himself that the elevator was faster than running up the stairs. Still, he couldn't help but feel frustrated as he watched the floor counter above him tick upwards, agonizingly slow.

_55..._

_56..._

_57..._

_58..._

It felt like it would take forever for him to reach the eightieth, and final, floor. His thoughts traveled back to Herry and Odie. How much water had been pumped into their prison by now? Were they even still alive?  
Gareth took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on the floor counter. There was nothing to gain from working himself up any more than he already was. His friends needed him to be calm and calculating.

_77..._

_78..._

_79..._

_8-_

The elevator lurched to a sudden stop and the lights flickered out, bathing him in sudden darkness. The ceiling above him creaked ominously and, for a mere second before it happened, Gareth knew what was coming.

A powerfully clawed fist punched through the ceiling and grabbed hold of the back of Gareth's shirt. He was swiftly pulled off the ground and through the newly gaping hole. His body was shoved against the cold wall of the elevator shaft. A feminine growl confirmed what he already knew- Lilith had stationed her vampiric minions around the building, and he'd just run into one of them.

"Hmmm... I bet you'll taste good," she simpered. Gareth heard a hiss as she opened her mouth and bared her fangs.

In a move of sheer desperation he slammed his head forward to head-butt her; or, as it turned out, mouth-butt. Gareth's head connected with the lower part of the creature's face his forehead stinging painfully as it dislodged one of her fangs.

The vampire let go of him and shrieked. "My fang! What have you done to my fang?"

Gareth didn't respond that he'd decided she looked better without it. Instead**,** he used his newfound freedom to surge forward and knock her off balance. The vampire toppled backwards and fell into the hole she had created, giving Gareth just enough time to run to the emergency access ladder.  
Even as he began scaling up the rungs to the eightieth floor he could hear the vampire crawl through the hole and began her ascent behind him. He didn't dare to look down at her. His mind was singularly focused on moving as fast up the rungs as possible.  
For once, luck was on Gareth's side. He reached the top of the ladder to be faced with a small hatch. He pushed against its door and tumbled out into what looked like a darkened maintenance closet. Gareth finally looked back to stare into the eye of a very enraged vampire. A panicked scream slipped from his mouth and; giving her one, two kicks for good measure, Gareth rushed out of the closet and into the a darkened stairwell.

His heavy footfalls blasted angrily off the walls of the stairwell. Gareth could hear the vampire's angry shrieks behind him and knew that he had to find a weapon. _Fast_.  
A little of Neil's luck seemed to have floated his way for Gareth ran up the stairs to find a fireman's pick-axe prominently displayed in a glass case on the wall. The instructions on the side said to pull take a key off the wall next the case and unlock it. Gareth, however, didn't have time for such nonsense and simply slammed his shoulder into the glass case. Adrenalin and fear numbed the pain that he should have felt as the glass cut into his shoulder.

As a low, animalistic growl alerted him to the closeness of his enemy; Gareth grabbed the axe, spun on his heel and swung blindly. The blade of the axe lodged itself in the side of the vampire's neck, causing a spatter of blood to stain the walls and Gareth's face.  
The vampire screeched in agony and fell back. Thus emboldened, Gareth surged forward and hacked away at the creature. Panic made his blows shallow and his aim poor. Accordingly, it took a few tries before he finally managed to sever the vampire's head and send it back to Tartarus in a flash of smoke and flame. One final, terror-inspire blow crashed onto the, now empty, floor and lodged the tip of the axe in the floor.

Gareth wasn't prepared for the silence he was suddenly faced with. A mere moment ago he had been fighting for his life and now he was safe. Or, at least, as safe as one can be in a building full of vampires and gods know what else.  
Gareth looked down at the bloodied axe feeling a eerily hollow. The fact that he had just killed his second undead being, in self-defense no less, didn't change the fact that he had just crossed a line. What seemingly taboo act would he commit next? And how easy would it be for him to justify his actions then?  
He slowly pulled the axe's blade from the floor and made his way up the stairwell to the very top of the building. The door to the roof loomed ever closer and with every single step he could feel a heavy weight pressing down heavier and heavier on his chest.  
What was he doing there? He was no hero. He wasn't nearly as fast as Atlanta or as brave as Jay or as strong as Herry. He was just a normal teenaged geek with a fondness for fanfiction and music. And now he was about to rush out and fight the most dementedly evil being he could think of. Was he crazy?

Gareth took a shallow breath and paused in front of the door. He gripped the axe firmly in both hands and closed his eyes. He could clearly hear Theresa's somewhat bossy voice in his head.

_Do you love him?_

Gareth knew the answer to that. He took a deep breath, reigned in his near-overwhelming fear and ran into the harsh light of day.

* * *

"Where'd you learn to hotwire a car?" Atlanta asked Jay, taking a moment to make sure the coast was clear.

Jay averted Atlanta's eyes guiltily. "Odie showed me and Herry how to do it a few months back. He figured that you'd never know when a skill like that would come in handy."

A flick of the wires and a small spark later and the black and white eighteen wheeler roared to life.

"You got that?" Jay asked. Atlanta nodded. "Good. Then go steal as many cars as possible and block the roads with them."

Atlanta gave him a mock-salute and sped off to her misdeeds. Shaking his head, Jay turned the steering wheel and maneuvered the truck until its front was pressed against a shop window and its trailer slanted awkwardly across the road. He jumped from the vehicle and examined all the other vehicles he had moved and bumped across the tar and pavement. Only a few cars to go and he'd have successfully blocked this exit; for a while at least. He was relieved that no one had noticed what he was doing.

The crowd around the Data Hub gave erupted in scream, gasps and shouts. Jay turned to see the source of their astonishment at the very top of the building. Two enormous walls of flame flashed into existence above the building; they moved forward and backward in an oddly rhythmic fashion.

Jay felt the color drain from his face. There was no way that that kind of fire didn't have a supernatural source. At this rate it would be mere minutes before the crowd learnt first hand about gods, monsters and magic. How long the news would take to reach the rest of the world... he didn't want to think about it.

* * *

The violent sound of Gareth's battle cry as he burst through the roof door dissolved the moment he saw the flooded tank. Vast amounts of water splashed from the mere inches that wasn't yet filled and spilled out onto the roof. Two human bodies floated eerily in the rushing water.  
Dizziness hit Gareth like a speeding truck. As if in a haze, he dropped the fireman's axe and stumbled to the glass box.

"Oh gods**,** no," he whispered. "No, no, no, no, n-"

"Gareth?" Herry's voice called from the tank. His voice sounded scratchy, as if he had a horrible cold. "Gareth, is that you?"

Gareth's eyes shot to the top of the tank. Only now did he notice that Herry and Odie were clinging to crisscrossing metal bars at the top of the cage; their faces pressed to the minute holes to steal whatever gasps of air they had left.

"Herry! Odie," Gareth exclaimed in relief. "I didn't think I'd get here in time."

Herry's body turned in Gareth's general direction. "You're alone? Where are the others?"

"They're on their way. I raced over here on Swift's back."

"Swift? Wha- Gareth, get out of here. Go get help. Lilith's around here somewhere."

"No. I'm here to save you," Gareth insisted.

"I'm serious, Gareth. You can't fight Lilith on your own. Please go get some help," Herry pleaded.

Gareth ignored his pleas and slammed his fists against the glass.

"You really should stop being such a stubborn mule," Lilith said from behind him. He swung round to see her shut the door with a loud click. She smiled wickedly, having finally gotten him where she wanted him. "Hello Daddy. Let's talk business."

"Lets not," Gareth growled and launched himself at Lilith.

Two columns of flame erupted almost instantaneously. A powerful heat wave scalded Gareth's skin and forced him to retreat a few steps. He did his best to shield his face against the intense flames. Squinting, he looked in the direction of the fire. He could not believe his partially closed eyes. Lilith stood in front of him, her posture fierce and proud, with two enormous wings of pure fire extending from her back. They waved back and forth rhythmically.

"Do you honestly think I will allow you to touch me?" She bellowed.

Gareth couldn't be sure that he wasn't hallucinating from the heat, but for a moment it looked like, instead of spit, sparks of fire had jumped from Lilith's mouth. "I want to talk to you and you _will_ listen."

Gareth crouched lower to the ground, his hands probing the stony surface. "You don't want to talk," he said, "You want to waste my time. You want to make me watch them die. But I won't let that happen. I'm only going to ask you one more time- let... them... go."

"Are you deaf?" she asked angrily. "I said-"

Lilith never finished her sentence for Gareth had unexpectedly thrown a small rock directly at her. It hit her smack in the forehead and sent her stumbling back against the door. The flat surface extinguished her fiery wings enough for Gareth to safely lunge at her a second time. He never hesitated in slamming as many punches into her jaw as possible.  
Lilith, however, was not to be fazed for long. She rammed her shoulder against his chest and sent him sprawling back onto the ground. Her crossed blades materialized with a flash of flame and she immediately rammed them down onto Gareth. He barely had enough time to part his legs. The blades dug into the roof mere inches from his crotch.

"Hey!" he exclaimed angrily. "I still need that you know."

He immediately rammed the heel of his foot into Lilith's shoulder and sent her stumbling back. He only had enough time to get to his feet before Lilith launched another furious attack. Her blades slashed at his throat with vicious silvery arcs. It took every bit of Gareth's concentration to evade her. He fell on his back and rolled out of the way. Lilith's attack followed him like the shadow of death. He could hear the deadly blades scratching and smashing against the concrete as he evaded every blow.

"Gareth!" screamed Herry from his watery cage.

Gareth's eyes shot to the cage. It was now completely flooded. Streams of water started to rush over the edges and cascaded down its glass walls. Herry and Odie had no more air to breath and were drowning.  
Gareth paid dearly for his momentary lapse in concentration. Lilith slammed into him with sickening force. He sailed across the roof and slammed face first into the glass cage. His blood splattered against the glass. Gareth looked up at Herry whose body was giving its last violent contortions as his lungs filled with water. It was too late. His friends were about to die and all he'd have left then would be to die at Lilith's hand.  
Lilith's reflection came into view behind him, her blades crashing towards the back of his head. Gareth fell to his knees, allowing the blades to fly over his head and pierce the glass cage. It only took a second for the glass to crack and explode. A powerful wall of water slammed them off their feet and pushed them to the edge of the roof. Gareth's hands scrambled frantically to stop from falling. He reached for safety but was pulled over the edge when Lilith, being washed past him by the unstoppable weight of the water, grabbed hold of his legs. Gareth screamed as they both washed over the edge**, **plummeting towardsthe ground, eighty stories below.

* * *

Jay met up with Atlanta and Theresa back at the inner circle of the crowd. All the roads leaving the area were sufficiently blocked. Now they only needed to keep the crowd as calm as possible.  
That, however, almost immediately proved impossible as screams of terror erupted all around them. A flood of water, glass and, to Jay's horror, people washed over the edges of the roof and came crashing down on the crowd below. The spell of curiosity was finally broken. The hundreds of people that surrounded them started to stampede in the direction of their cars only to find themselves trapped. They pushed, pulled and trampled each other in their desperate bid for freedom. Many started to crawl under or climb over the cars and trucks that blocked their way.  
Jay was pushed off his feet by a burly man rushing to escape. Violent blows rained down on his body even as he tried to get to his feet. A strong hand clasped over his arm and pulled him to his feet. He had never been so thankful to be rescued by Atlanta.

"Stay on your feet!" Atlanta yelled. "We have to calm them down before they tear each other apart. Theresa!"

Jay searched the crowd for Theresa's flaming red head. He found her standing precariously on the hood of a police car with her hands outstretched. Her eyes glowed with the, now all too familiar, purple glare that showed she meant business.  
That's when Jay noticed that all around him, one by one, people were dropping to the ground. Somehow Theresa was rendering the hundred of people around her unconscious. Knowing that she and Atlanta would take care of the hysteric crowd Jay turned from the people and stormed into the Data Hub.

* * *

Gareth's entire body slammed against a hard surface. He felt a painful pop at the back of his head. He opened his eyes and, through the ringing in his ears and the dizziness, he could see that he had landed on a dumbwaiter a few stories below the roof. Once again he marveled at his Neil-like luck.  
He examined his body for damage only to come face to face with Lilith, who had just opened her eyes. She pounced on him like a panther and clasped her claws around his throat. Gareth writhed and punched to stop her from choking him, but Lilith's iron-grip was unbreakable. The demonic pleasure in her eyes scared him. He pulled his eyes from hers and saw what was obviously his last hope for survival. The break for the dumbwaiter was a mere inch from his left leg. Gareth slammed his heel into the break as hard as possible. The dumbwaiter immediately started to hurtle towards the ground, sending Lilith tumbling off of him. Gareth could see their plummeting images in the reflection of the windows that flashed by. He used Lilith's brief disorientation to grab hold of her head and slam it into the passing glass. The windows shattered and ripped shreds of flesh from her face. Remembering that they were very quickly nearing Terra Firma, Gareth shoved Lilith aside and re-set the break. Once again they were thrown around like ragdolls by the sudden stop in motion.  
Ignoring the throbbing pain in his head Gareth moved over to Lilith and started to smash his fists into every inch of his body he could reach. The terrifying thought of her getting another shot at his life spurred his increasingly furious blows to a fever-pitch. He only stopped when the energy had finally drained from his flailing fists.

Lilith lay crooning and wrecked beneath him. Her face ripped apart and covered in blood. With the images of his tortured friends and everything that Lilith had put them through fresh in his mind; Gareth circled her throat and squeezed with every bit of his strength. Lilith's eyes widened as her supply of oxygen was cut off. She flailed weakly till finally her body went still.  
Gareth looked into her lifeless eyes. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. He pried his hands from her neck, revealing newly formed bruises all over her neck. That wasn't the only thing that was new about her, however. Lilith's skin color began to change rapidly; going from pale to a sickly green color. Her sleek blonde hair also became grey and tufty. He looked into the unmoving eyes below him; no longer demonic but grey and empty. There was no way that the person below him was Lilith.

"Oh my gods," he exclaimed and jumped off the body. "Who are you? What have I done?"

Gareth's body shivered involuntarily. Killing his first vampire that day was one thing; but this... The thought that he might have just kil- murdered an innocent person made the world spin. He grabbed hold of the cold rail of the dumbwaiter to steady himself. He forced himself to breath slowly until his dizziness subsided.

That was when an even more terrifying thought occurred to him: where was the real Lilith? His gaze shot to the roof when he remembered that Herry and Odie were still up there. He realised that, for the time being, he had to forget about the person he'd... murdered, and get to his friends. Knowing that it would take too long to raise the dumbwaiter Gareth slammed his elbow into the window next to him. Ignoring the stinging in his elbow he crawled through the hole and raced to the roof. He prayed to the entire pantheon – including the less likeable gods - that his friends would still be alive when he got there.

He raced through the door into the blinding sunlight.  
For what felt like the twentieth time that day it felt as if his heart was going to stop. Herry lay spread eagled on the wet tiles of the roof. Jay had his hands locked over his chest, frantically massaging his heart while Odie did his best to breathe into his mouth.  
Gareth fell to his knees. He couldn't look away from Herry's face which was now turning horribly blue. Gareth grabbed his cold hand as if trying to will some life into Herry's body.  
For one infinitesimal moment in time he felt as if Herry was lost to him forever. Then, miraculously, life returned to Herry's body. Violent retches shook his entire frame as he coughed up copious amounts of water.

Herry grabbed hold of Gareth's arm, clinging desperately to him till his coughs calmed to a feverish shiver.  
A near silent sob of relief jumped from Gareth's chest. He crumbled to the wet stone next to Herry, still unable to completely process what had just almost happened.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a gentle voice, still struggling to keep the tears at bay.

Herry nodded tiredly, his eyes half closed. Gareth moved closer and, kneeling at his side, fully inspected the other boy's wounds. His hands were bloody and raw - several fingers clearly broken - his nose was swelling badly where it had, once again, been broken and his pale complexion spoke of severe exhaustion.  
Once more Gareth felt that powerful surge of protectiveness rise within him. He wanted to throw his arms around Herry and shield him from the world; wanted to keep him safe and happy and all those other cliché things that came with loving someone irrevocably. And love Herry he did. Even with his broken body and wounded spirit, Herry was the only one he desired. Gareth leaned over and, ever so gently, put his arm around Herry's shoulder. He lifted the larger teen into a sitting position against the wall.

Herry's eyes opened wider as if waking up for the first time. He scanned his surroundings and the people around him till finally his eyes came to a rest on Gareth who was now leaning over him. He smiled weakly. He lifted his hand to caress Gareth's cheek, but it shook so badly that he stopped a mere inch from Gareth's skin. Gareth wrapped his hand around Herry's wrist to steady him.

His eyes found Herry's. He could see the fear in them, but for the very first time in his life he also saw desire_**. **_A tentative desire, like a seedling curling towards the sunlight, but adesire that was aimed solely at him. The heavy thud of Gareth's heart sounded up in his ears and throat till all he could hear was its rhythmic beat. Without him being able to control it, Gareth found that he was moving closer to Herry. His hand slid behind Herry's neck, feeling like it had always been meant to touch his skin. The world became hazy, as it always did when he was with Herry. Then, finally, their lips touched. Herry made to pull away, but Gareth clung to him for dear life. Herry gave a weak grunt of protest but didn't struggle anymore. His lips parted under Gareth's and he let the smaller teen's tongue slide in. Gareth's world was spinning chaotically. He couldn't do anything but focus on Herry, who's lips were moving against his; Herry who was now leaning forward and kissing back in earnest; Herry who was forever stealing his heart.

The kiss finally broke after what seemed like ages of heated passion. Ragged gasps slipped from their mouths which were now separated only by an inch of warm air. Herry stared into Gareth's eyes in awe. Gareth recognized the expression of amazement and joyous confusion. Herry was waking up to a whole new world, and Gareth was the one who had first showed it to him.

* * *

**Thanks for reading guys. I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Feel free to drop me a review to share any and all your thoughts; no matter how brief they may be. I welcome all constructive criticism and comments.**

**Have a wonderful day/night!**

**Much Love**

**AT**


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